


Arc-V Aftermath

by PetildaFan



Series: Arc-V Epilogue Series [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: (sort of), Canon - Anime Dub, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-11-29
Packaged: 2019-01-18 20:35:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 157,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12395757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PetildaFan/pseuds/PetildaFan
Summary: When all is said and done, things have quickly recovered in the four dimensions. But when weird things start happening, the Yu-Salad Boys and the Bracelet Girls quickly realize they have some loose ends to fix. Co-written with Violetganache42 on Tumblr.





	1. Yuto's Backstory

**Author's Note:**

> Due to the canon ending of Arc-V being very open-ended because the production team was more focused on Dark Side of Dimensions, my friend from Tumblr and I created an epilogue series that fixes some loose ends.
> 
> Also, while I will use dub names, the two exceptions are Allen and Saya, who will be referred to as Alex Kablam and Sarah Glitters due to the series being created before the Season 3 dub premiered.
> 
> So regardless of that little hiccup, I hope you enjoy this collab fic.

It was another morning in Paradise City. The sun rose up in the sky, casting its rays on the city and through some white clouds, illuminating its light all around the. The birds were chirping their melodies from the trees, the ground, and in the air. The citizens went about with their morning routines, whether it is getting ready for work, school, or learning more lessons about dueling. After the events with the Interdimensional War, Fusion Dimension’s Duel Academy, and even Zarc, it felt nice to wake up to peaceful mornings, especially for Yuya.

The young Dueltainer was glad to know everyone can finally live their days in peace without the threat of Duel Academy looming over their shoulder and to have his father and Zuzu back. The only thing that will never be the same about him and his childhood friend was that their counterparts were now fused with their own. While going on about with their daily routines, the counterparts were managing their individual lives; at the same time, Yuto and Yugo kept their relationships with Lulu and Rin respectively, whereas Yuri and Celina developed a rivalry with each other. Due to people getting carded and Leo’s intentions of fusing all four dimensions to bring his daughter Ray back, Celina had a valid reason to be Yuri’s rival. All in all, all eight boys and girls were getting used to their new lives.

But there was one in particular who may not have changed after the conflict was officially resolved…

The Yu salad were getting ready for the day, each repeatedly switching out their spirits to get dressed and maintain their perfectly coiffed hairstyles. Yuto was currently taking control of Yuya’s body, brushing his thick, spiky, black and light purple hair back, but he was also muttering something to himself. It was hard to distinguish, but it sounded very noble; the gestures he was doing even conveyed his nobility very easily. Was it a force of habit or part of his daily routine while growing up in Heartland City? Whatever the reason, it seemed to grab the attention of the other boys, including a certain banana-banged Synchro user.

“Enough with the fancy talk, Prince Charming,” Yugo said. “We’re not in the Middle Ages.”

“I do agree with the moron,” Yuri chimed in. “Ever since the whole dimension fiasco, I couldn’t help but notice that you seem to be acting like a fairytale knight. Why is that?”

“That’s none of your concerned,” Yuto answered, his grip on his brush tightening.

“Actually, Yuri might be right,” Yuya said. “I know he was trained by Leo while Yugo grew up in the streets of New Domino City, but we know nothing about your past.”

“Do you really want to know?” Yuto asked. “My past life in Heartland is-”

“Can’t be any worse than fishing through garbage cans for any good cards,” Yugo interrupted.

“It’s not,” Yuto said. “I just don’t like talking about it.”

“Aw, come on, Yuto!” Yuya insisted. “What made you who you are today?”

Yuto let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine,” he said, putting his brush on Yuya’s nightstand. “This might come as a shock, but when I was younger, I wasn’t always a noble person…”

Yuya, Yugo, and even Yuri were surprised to hear Yuto say that, but it was true; he wasn’t born with a noble personality. In fact, he used to be an extremely shy kid while growing up. It dates back several years ago in Heartland City, long before Duel Academy invaded.

In a peaceful, colorful, duel-loving city like Heartland, one would expect the residents to be enthusiastic, extroverted, joyful, friendly, and full of smiles. They would be right…for the most part. As a young child, Yuto initially was not one of those people. He used to be quite the shrinking violet because he didn’t fit right in with the others, so it made finding friends difficult. Surprisingly, the only thing he regarded as his friend was his signature card: Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon. He felt like it was speaking to him and he kept it with him wherever he went. Additionally, his hairstyle wasn’t always combed back; it used to be short and spiky with his bangs hiding his eyes. In other words, it could be considered a borderline or a straight-up emo hairstyle, something that would stick out like a sore thumb in such a bright and cheery town.

As he grew up in the city, he still remained a wallflower, with Dark Rebellion as his only friend and no one to talk to or bond with. It was pretty much a lonesome childhood for him up until the day he met him. Someone who changed his life forever.

His name was Shay Obsidian.

One day, Yuto continued his never-ending cycle of introverted loneliness when he couldn’t help but notice something occurring right outside Heartland Duel School. It looked like there was a duel going on, but who was it between? Curious, the young boy decided to go investigate. As he got closer, he started figuring out what was going. One side of the field had a Duelist about to lose. His opponent on the other side caught the shy kid’s eye; he had blueish-black hair extending up to his chin and light green bangs swept left and tucked underneath some strands. His eyes were a mix between yellow and green, maybe a chartreuse color? He wore a while buttoned-up shirt, dark grey shorts, and a pair of black sneakers. His choice of monsters intrigued Yuto as well. He could see what looked like some kind of blue, green, and silver falcon with yellow and purple details; what surprised the kid is when the young teen declared its effect.

“Finish him off with Ravaging Rebellion!” the young teen happily exclaimed.

With that, the falcon flew up to the sky and then became cloaked in flames, much like a phoenix. Yuto brushed his bangs aside to try and get a better view of the young teen’s final attack; he had rather poor eyesight and felt he looked weird wearing glasses, so he prefers to not wear them. With an increased ATK of 2700, the falcon destroyed the special summoned Gem-Knight Pearl, reducing the opponent’s remaining Life Points to 0. The students cheered and applauded at his victory and the astonishing duel the two young teenage boys had. Yuto didn’t care if he missed what happened; he was amazed at how the young teen and his falcon finished it with such an exhilarating move.

After the applauding had died down, everyone went back to their routines, talking about the duel they watched. They mentioned how impressive Shay’s skills were and maybe had the most impressive skills in the entire Spade Branch. Yuto’s thoughts were flooding his mind about who this Shay person is. Should he talk to him? No, he can’t; his shyness always got the better of him, so he didn’t see the point of it. He then started to leave, only to find himself tripping down on the ground, which apparently caught Shay’s attention.

The young teen quickly ran up to Yuto. “Are you alright?” he asked.

He helped the kid get up from the ground; as he brushed off any dirt that may have gotten on his clothes, he noticed the person that helped him. It was Shay! The same person who won the duel with his falcon! Yuto tried to respond, but he had trouble responding.

“My name’s Shay Obsidian,” he said, smiling pleasantly. “What’s yours?”

Yuto looked down. “Y-Yuto…” he muttered.

“Huh?” Shay asked.

“Yuto!” the dark-haired boy blurted out. He quickly covered his mouth, embarrassed for shouting like that.

“Yuto, huh?” Shay asked. “Aren’t you that shy kid everyone talks about?”

He nodded slowly, feeling nervous about talking to someone for the first time.

“Well don’t you worry, Yuto,” Shay said, patting the younger boy on the back. “How about I get the honor to be your first official friend?”

This surprised the kid. An actual friend? An actual _human_ friend? Someone besides his Dark Rebellion really wants to be his friend? He never thought the day would come, yet he was unsure about it.

“Are you okay?” Shay asked, concerned due to the young boy’s silence.

Something was running through the kid’s mind, almost like he’s experiencing a flashback. Throughout his life, people had always made fun of his dark appearances. His baggy clothes, his hair, you name it. It was no wonder he felt left out; for a socializing, happy city, the residents teasing Yuto like that could be described as ironic. As a result, he felt like the only person he feels comfortable talking to was his own mother.

The sheer thought of him getting poked fun of like that worsened his anxiety. He was afraid Shay might do the same thing, but surprisingly, he didn’t.

“I heard what other kids at school say about you,” Shay said. “You constantly get teased for having a dark outlook. Right?”

He nodded again.

“Don’t worry about it,” Shay said. “Just stick by my side and no one will make fun of you again.”

A small smile formed on Yuto’s face. This was definitely a moment he wouldn’t expect to happen, but it was. This was going to be a life changer. It made him feel…happy…and relieved that there is someone who will protect him. As he was about to reach his hand out to shake Shay’s, his Dark Rebellion card fell onto the ground, catching the young teen’s attention.

Shay picked up the dragon card. “I never saw this card before,” he said. “Do you duel?”

Yuto shook his head “no”, shocking the young teen.

“Then I guess I should teach you how to play,” Shay said, still smiling.

The shy kid felt hesitant about learning to duel. He had never played Duel Monsters before; heck, he never even had a deck of his own. Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon was the only card he had because of how they’re both connected, so wanting the card back felt more important to him.

Shay noticed Yuto’s nervous expression. “You want this back?” the young teen asked, giving Dark Rebellion back to Yuto. He uttered a small “Yes”, still feeling uncomfortable about dueling.

“That could be the starting point of your deck,” Shay said. “I never saw anyone use that card, but I’m sure it could work for any type of deck. You just need to find your dueling style.”

For several days, Shay has been finding various—and somewhat creative—ways to get his new friend into dueling. Knowing Yuto doesn’t have a deck and a single card, he went with using his own deck to bribe him. With so many imaginative methods to persuade him, it almost felt endless for the kid.

One time, Shay switched out Yuto’s lunch when he wasn’t looking. Upon removing the lid, he saw Shay’s cards, baffling him immensely. Did the lunch lady accidentally mixed up my order? he wondered. Yeah, that’s gotta be it. A couple days later, he opened his locker to get his sneakers after the school day had ended, only to find the same deck behind them. This left him stunned silent; why were these cards appearing everywhere? As for using the bathroom, well… Let’s just say Shay was sitting in the stall Yuto wanted to use, showing the shocked boy his deck. The same deck that kept popping up on places.

Eventually, Yuto decided to give in. The young teen’s “persuasive” techniques were honestly getting more and more unusual per day. Now, he thought, if he was going to learn how to duel, what would be the best place to start? Fortunately, Shay has just the answer.

“You want to join the school’s dueling club?” Shay asked one day.

“Y-Y-Yes…” Yuto muttered. “I want to duel too…”

“That’s the spirit!” Shay happily said, sounding completely innocent. “Meet me at the school gym after class. That’s where we meet every afternoon.”

Later that day, Yuto immediately went to the gym after class. He was wondering how he was going to learn to play. He doesn’t have a deck to use and needs to have a unique, individual style to it. Hopefully, the dueling club will figure something out for him. Outside the gym doors, he saw and met up with Shay, who was eagerly waiting for him. Was he hiding something to surprise the boy? Who knows. Whatever it is, it will definitely change Yuto’s life forever.

“Glad you could make it,” Shay said, ruffling Yuto’s hair. “We were just about to get started with today’s meeting.”

Right as he finished talking, one of the doors opened, revealing a club member. He had blonde hair with a curled point and dark green, spiky bangs. His eyes were blueish-gray and had pale skin. He wore a white t-shirt with blue pants and light brown shoes. Yuto has never met him before, but he looked like he was friends with Shay.

“So this is that Yuto kid you kept talking about?” the young blonde teen asked, speaking in a somewhat hoarse voice.

“Yeah, that’s him,” Shay said. “Yuto, this is Kite Tenjo.”

“Nice to meet you,” Kite told Yuto, smiling pleasantly.

Yuto looked around the school gym. “Wh-Where…” he stammered.

“Where’s everyone else?” Kite asked. “It’s just me and Shay.”

“But we hope to get more members,” Shay added.

This was surprisingly unusual to hear. A duel club with only two members? That’s virtually impossible. Yuto was expecting to find more members, especially regarding how popular Duel Monsters is in Heartland City, but seeing how timid he currently is, two was a comfortable number of people to have.

The sound of the school bell rang; it was time for students to take part in their club activities. “Okay Duelists,” Shay said, addressing Yuto and Kite. “Before we begin I want to see if everyone is present. Kite Tenjo?”

“Here,” Kite replied.

“And that’s everyone,” Shay said. “As our first order of business, I would like to introduce you to Yuto. He will be joining us starting today.”

Yuto felt a little embarrassed being introduced to a crowd, let alone a tiny crowd; there is literally one person sitting down. Joining such a small club felt more awkward than he initially thought. But this’ll be the last moment of shyness he experiences.

For today’s club meeting, Shay and Kite plan on introducing its newest member to various card archetypes. Yuto has never heard of archetypes before. He had questions running through his head: What even represents an archetype? The Japanese symbol on the top right corner of the card? The monster’s typing? Or are they a group of supported cards? These question made him puzzled, but hearing Shay talking snapped him out of his confusion.

“Before we begin today’s dueling practice, we should help Yuto create his very own deck,” Shay said. “He already has one card, so that should be his starting point.”

“One card?” Kite asked. “Can I see it?”

Yuto felt a little hesitant, but he let the other young teen look at his Dark Rebellion card.

Kite read the card’s stats. “Looks like this card can work with any archetype,” he said, giving the card back to Yuto. “I never heard of it before.”

“I never saw that card anywhere else either,” Shay said. “But hopefully there’s some archetype that would work.”

Then it was settled; their first order of business was to help Yuto find the perfect archetype in order to construct his first dueling deck. Shay took out his Duel Disk and after a bit of setup, holograms appeared from the pad. The young boy was about to get his first lesson on how to play Duel Monsters.

“Since your monster is a dark-attribute dragon, let’s start with that,” Shay said, going through the category filters. “You should start off with a basic dragon deck, so you should start off with normal dragon monsters. But you can’t have only monsters in your deck, so maybe the equip spell card Dragon Treasure could work as a starter power boost…”

Shay and Kite scrolled through the various groups of cards to deduce which ones would work well in Yuto’s deck. At the same time, Yuto brushed his light purple bangs aside once again to see their working process and the vast variety of cards. He saw that applying certain filters can help organize the cards based on Attribute, Type, Level, Spell, Trap, and even archetype. He can already imagine millions of Duel Monsters cards that have existed and are existing ever since the day they were first created. His body was filled once again with amazement and awe.

Deck construction seemed to be going at a steady pace. The two young teens discussed and strategized which cards would work best with one another while the boy continued to stare in admiration. He hadn’t felt this happy since he witnessed Shay’s victory several days ago; today was a really good day, something he never thought he would experience in his life, but he is and it feels great. A few minutes later, as deck construction progressed, something caught Yuto’s eye. Whatever it was displayed holographically piqued his interests.

Yuto gasped softly. “What is it?” Shay asked.

“G-Go back…” Yuto said.

“You found an archetype you like?” Kite asked.

Yuto nodded his head. Shay scrolled back to stop at the archetype the boy saw. It consists of DARK Warrior-Type Monsters; some of them looked ghostly while the others were Pseudo-Trap Monsters, having animated armor or weapons surrounded by ghostly flames.

“Was this what you saw?” Shay asked.

Yuto nodded “Yes” once again.

Shay looked a bit concerned. “The Phantom Knights aren’t exactly cheerful,” he informed. “According to their card lore, they’re leftover ghosts from a war that wiped out a once-grand kingdom.”

“And it’s not exactly the best archetype,” Kite informed. “It mostly consists of trap cards, which can be a bit of a problem since a good deck mostly needs monsters.”

The kid then explained that he and the Phantom Kinghts both have dark appearances, making his outlook a perfect match. Shay and Kite were rather surprised at his explanation.

“Alright, Yuto,” Shay said. “If you insist, I guess you can work with that deck.”

“Th-Thank you…” Yuto stammered.

“But you can’t duel with that kind of attitude,” Shay said.

Yuto looked at the ground, blushing heavily. “I-I-I…”

Shay tilted Yuto’s head upwards so he was looking at him. “Just imagine yourself being as brave as the Phantom Knights,” the young teen informed.

“Brave…?” Yuto asked. “I-I can’t do that…”

“The Phantom Knights are noble and chivalrous,” Shay explained. “Remember those knights from medieval films?”

“Y-Yes…” Yuto stammered.

“Channel that behavior into your dueling,” Shay continued. “Can you do that?”

Yuto nodded his head once more and began to think. Be as brave, noble, and chivalrous as the Phantom Knights, he thought to himself. He started to picture an older version of himself, using the Phantom Knights in duels, being brave in the face of danger, and a loyal, chivalrous, and noble person to his friends, much like a knight.

The dark-haired boy responded to Shay with a slight bow. “A-As you wish…” he replied.

Shay looked surprised as Kite repressed an amused laugh. “Close enough, I guess,” the blue-green-haired teen said.

As the years went on, Yuto practiced and perfected his dueling skills. He attended the school’s dueling club everyday, learning how to utilize a monster’s effect, know when to use Spells and Traps, perform an XYZ summon, and use these skills to construct a strategy that works best for him. He even took the opportunity to test them out after club activities ended each day. At one point, Shay declared an attack with one of his Raidraptors, who had enough strength to blow Yuto’s hair back. The teen couldn’t help but comment on the dark-haired boy’s new look.

“What are you talking about?” Yuto asked, speaking more often than usual.

“I said you look good with your hair pushed back,” Shay repeated. “In fact, you actually look better than when you started dueling.”

“Yeah right,” Yuto said. “I don’t feel any diff-”

But he did. He didn’t feel his hair covering his eyes and forehead; they were more exposed. This was a rather interesting hairstyle he received, so he started combing his hair back. Of course, this didn’t change the fact that his new haircut didn’t help his eyesight one bit.

“Yuto, I noticed you have been squinting a lot,” his mother told him one day. “Maybe you should get glasses.”

“Mom, I really don’t want glasses,” Yuto insisted. “They’ll make me look weird.”

“Oh, don’t be silly!” Yuto’s mother replied. “Don’t you want the world to see your pretty eyes?”

Much to Yuto’s embarrassment, he was given his first pair of glasses; the ones he got had dark purple frames. Additionally, his appearance started to change. His gravity-defying hairstyle grew longer and he became quite handsome, especially with the confident sparks in his eyes. He also stopped wearing baggy clothes in favor of more casual ones; his new attire consisted of a black shirt, a black belt with silver studs, a black and cream-colored coat, a necklace, two black wristbands, dark jeans, and a pair of black shoes.

At the same time, his personality also changed. He didn’t notice at first, but people have been treating him differently. They saw that this Yuto wasn’t the same isolated, shy, lonely kid anymore; he has become more open to others, actively participating in and watching duels, developed caring and knightly traits, and smiled a lot more often. It was like he was a new person.

“You want to get more members?” Shay asked during a dueling club meeting.

“Yeah,” Yuto answered. “You said this dueling club is a truce between the Spade and Clover Branches, so we need to get more people interested.”

“Alright,” Kite said. “It would be nice to have other people from the Clover Branch in the club.”

Shay, Kite, and a now 14-year-old Yuto have spent the last few years in the dueling club as its only members, so it would be nice to add a few new ones. Besides, having said new members be from the Spade and Clover Branches can help emphasize the truce between the two branches. The only question is how they’re going to find people who are not only in the two branches, but are also interested in joining.

“So what’s your idea, Yuto?” Kite asked.

“There’s a duel tournament going on between the girls from the Spade and Clover Branches,” Yuto explained. “Maybe we can recruit members during the tournament.”

“I think I heard about that earlier today,” Shay recalled. “My sister is participating in it.”

“You have a sister?” Yuto asked, trying to imagine what the sister of Shay Obsidian would look like.

“Yeah,” Shay answered. “She would make a nice addition to the dueling club.”

“Then we should get going,” Kite said. “Those new members aren’t going to recruit themselves.”

A few minutes later, the three boys arrived at the tournament. As they watched, they saw two girls dueling each other. One had brown hair tied in a ponytail, fair skin, a red, long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up, grayish-blue capris, and a pair of blue sneakers. Her opponent was a pale-skinned girl with magenta eyes and long, dark purple hair tied in a bow shape with a wing-shaped barrette and shorter, lilac side tails. She wore a light yellow and white, knee-length dress, a pair of white shoes, and a bracelet with a wing-shaped design and a yellow diamond framed in the design.

Several minutes have passed and the dark-purple haired girl brought the brown-haired girl’s Life Points down to 0, winning the duel.

“That girl’s amazing!” Yuto explained.

“Yeah, that’s my younger sister,” Shay said.

“Oh, she is?” Yuto asked without a second thought.

Suddenly, realization hit him and he looked back and forth between Shay and his sister with a shocked look on his face. Shay just simply glared back at Yuto, knowing he chose not to wear his glasses today.

After the tournament, Shay introduced his sister to his dark-haired friend. “Nice to meet you,” the dark-haired girl said. “My name’s Lulu.”

Lulu smiled at Yuto, causing him to blush. There was something about her appearance that he adores. Was it the eyes? The hair? Or what about the clothes she wore? No, it was every single detail about her. Upon seeing her lips, he developed fantasies in his head…kissing-related fantasies. He started developing this weird feeling in his heart; he could have sworn it just skipped a beat. What is this emotion he was having? He never experienced this before. Was is…love? Love at first sight?

Shortly thereafter, the two instantly grew close to each other. On one sunny day, the two sat at a table with Yuto checking out her deck. From the look of things, her archetype was Lyrilusc, consisting of WIND Winged-Beast Type female monsters; their low Levels, ATK, and DEF were accompanied by really useful effects that increase the ATK and number of direct attacks based on how many monsters are summoned. Her ace, Assembled Nightingale, can even OTK her opponents with the right amount of XYZ Materials.

“Lyrilusc, huh?” Yuto remarked. “This is a pretty good deck. Did you make this yourself?”

“Yeah, I did,” Lulu answered. “I want to have fun, bright duels like the songbirds that fly in the sky during warm summer days.”

“This deck is perfect,” Yuto said as he gave the deck back to Lulu. “Have you thought about joining the dueling club?”

“I have,” Lulu answered. “But I’m worried that my deck isn’t good enough.”

“That’s crazy,” Yuto said, placing his hand over Lulu’s. “You should be proud to have a deck like that.”

Lulu smiled softly at Yuto. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll join.”

And with that, Lulu Obsidian from the Spade Branch became one of the newest members of the dueling club. She even took the opportunity to convince her friends Sarah Glitters and Alex Kablam—two students in the Clover Branch—to join as well, making them two new additional members of the club.

A few weeks later, while she and Yuto were sitting on a bench, they grew closer than when they first met. “Lulu?” Yuto asked. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Lulu answered.

“These past few weeks have been amazing,” Yuto said. “Especially you. You’re the most amazing girl I ever met. You’re beautiful both inside and out, and you’re one of the best Duelists I know.”

“What are you saying?” Lulu asked.

“Lulu Obsidian, will you accompany me to the school dance?” Yuto asked.

“The one that’s coming up in three weeks?” Lulu asked in response.

“Yes,” Yuto answered. “But not as a friend. As a date.”

Lulu smiled with pure delight. “Of course, Yuto!” she said. “I’ll be more than happy to be your date to the dance!”

With that being said, she leaned her head on Yuto’s shoulder, surprising him. He can’t hardly believe he not only got a date for the upcoming school dance, but a girlfriend as well. He happily looked over to see Lulu, who was still resting on his shoulder.

Three weeks have passed and Yuto was getting ready for the big night. However, he felt like something was missing… He now remembered; he officially decided to wear his glasses for the first time. Aside from that, he wore a dull green formal shirt with a dark blue tie, a black dress jacket, dark blue pants, and black shoes. Putting on the glasses, he was ready for the school dance and his first date with Lulu.

When Yuto headed downstairs, his mother was amazed. “Look at you!” she happily exclaimed, hugging him tightly. “You look so grown up and handsome!”

“Mom!” Yuto exclaimed, blushing heavily. “This suit is a rental!”

Yuto’s mother quickly let go. “Sorry,” she said. “It feels like it was only yesterday you were a shy, nervous boy. Now look at you! Confident and about to attend your first school dance!”

Yuto smiled. “Thanks mom,” he said. “The dance is over at 11. I’ll be back home around that time.”

Yuto’s mother planted a kiss on his forehead. “Don’t worry about it, sweetie,” she said. “Just remember to relax and have fun.”

Several minutes later, she brought her son to the school. Upon dropping him off, they said their goodbyes to each other and he entered the gym. Everything was decorated with streamers and balloons tied in a few areas. There was an alignment of food and drinks on the table, even a bowl of fruit punch next to some stacks of cups. A band was performing on stage, with everyone eating, drinking, dancing, and having a good time.

As he looked over at the crowd, he saw and met up with the dueling club, who were all wearing different outfits, albeit Sarah for some reason. Alex also wore his usual outfit, but wore a poncho over it. Shay, Kite, and Lulu, on the other hand, had really nice clothes on. Kite wore a black suit (which included a matching trench coat) while Shay wore a tuxedo with gray pants and brown shoes. Lulu had her hair pinned up and donned large, feather earrings. She also sported a long, silver dress with sleeves on the shoulders and sparkly white heels. Yuto blushed at the sight of his date looking so beautiful.

“About time you got here,” Shay said.

“Sorry I was late,” Yuto said, smoothing out his dress jacket. “My mom was a little too happy about me being here.”

“Hang on…” Kite said. “Are you wearing your glasses?”

Yuto didn’t respond right away, causing the blonde teen to chuckle. “Don’t worry,” Kite said. “You look great.”

“It still feels weird,” Yuto admitted.

“Only during the first few times,” Sarah reassured. “You’ll get used to it eventually.”

That was when Yuto noticed Sarah’s choice of attire. “What happened to your dress?” he asked.

“Briar mistook it for a scratching post,” Sarah explained, referring to her pet cat. “And due to it being a custom, there was no way to restore it in time.”

“Don’t worry,” Lulu told Sarah. “You still look great. And at least you actually put some effort into your outfit.”

“Oh, come on!” Alex exclaimed, knowing Lulu was referring to him. “This is my cleanest poncho!”

“But you’re still wearing that smelly old hoodie,” Kite pointed out.

“You’re one to talk,” Alex replied. “You’re wearing an old black coat.”

“My father wore this coat during his first school dance when he was my age,” Kite explained. “As did his father before him. It’s a family heirloom.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Shay said. “We’re here to enjoy the dance, not criticize our choices in formal wear.”

“Even though that’s clearly an angel who shape-shifted into a prettier replica of your sister?” Yuto asked in response.

Lulu quickly realized what Yuto just said. “Did you just call me pretty?” she asked.

Yuto smiled softly at Lulu. “Of course,” he answered, reaching out to hold her hand. “Fair princess.” He planted a kiss on the back of her hand, making her blush.

The night went on and it was clear the dance was a big hit. The band played so many great songs while people talked, joked around, laughed, ate, drank, and danced. Yuto, especially, had an amazing night with Lulu; he was even able to share a dance with her.

Near the end of the night, Lulu and Yuto were resting on the gymnasium bleachers. “Thanks for the fun time, Yuto,” Lulu said, leaning in to him.

“You’re welcome,” Yuto replied, smiling softly. He carefully placed his hand on Lulu’s cheek and-

“And what?” Yugo asked. “Come on, Yoot! Don’t leave us hanging! Did you get your first kiss with Lulu?”

No response. Something was wrong with Yuto. Is he okay? He sure doesn’t look like it. He just simply stared at his reflection in Yuya’s mirror.

“Yuto?” Yuya asked, sounding a bit concerned. “Are you alright?”

The only response he got was a saddened look on Yuto’s face. Yuya and Yugo grew worried about their XYZ counterpart. Even Yuri couldn’t help but feel bad for him. Looking back at the mirror, he could see a reflection of himself on the night of the school dance. He looked so handsome in his outfit and enjoyed spending the night with his friends…and with Lulu… But now, it was dashed…dashed by the sudden Invasion. He never forgot that night. The night where everyone ran away in fear from the Obelisk Force and their Chaos Ancient Gear Giants. The night where so many innocent people got their souls carded. The night he lost his mother… He still remembers seeing her death as she protected her own son from one of the Giant’s attacks. Everything that happened completely changed his life, and the only thing he had left to remind him of this painful night were the very clothes he was wearing, which were now ripped and tattered.

Suddenly, Yuya was switched out. “Huh?” he asked, surprised by the sudden switch. “Yuto?”

As the tomato-haired boy was left wondering what was wrong with Yuto, there was a knock on the door. “Hey Yuya, what’s taking so long?” a familiar voice asked. “Your mom just finished making pancakes.”

That voice belonged to none other than Sora Perse, who was recently adopted by Yoko. He opened the door, only to find Yuri taking Yuya’s place. “Oh, hey Yuri,” Sora said, greeting his former Obelisk Force teammate. “Wasn’t expecting to see you this early.”

“Never mind that,” Yuri said. “When did the Invasion begin?”

“Geez, didn’t know you already forgot,” Sora casually answered. “I don’t really remember the exact day, but I do remember seeing a bunch of school students dressed in fancy outfits. Don’t know why, though.”

Based on the given information, it immediately clicked together for Yuri. The Invasion occurred on the night of the school dance (making Yuya wonder if what Yuto initially told him about the Invasion happening during the daytime was a lie); it was no wonder why Yuto was upset and switched places with Yuya. But how on earth are they going to make him feel better? Just then, he developed an idea.

“Thank you for informing us,” Yuri said as he left the room, referring to himself, Yuya, and Yugo. “Now if you excuse us, we need to speak to Mr. and Mrs. Sakaki.”


	2. Dance Do-Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the reveal regarding when the Invasion actually happened, Yuya sets out to make amends. And what better way to do that than with a formal dance?

Yuri switched back to Yuya while heading downstairs. He knows how Yusho is still having a hard time trusting him, especially after carding him, so he would rather let the son of a Dueltainer talk to him. Besides, Yusho and Yoko would still get filled in on what’s wrong with Yuto now that they know what happened.

Before sitting down to eat breakfast and talk to his parents, Yuya was greeted by En, Core, Kilo, Watt, and all the other pets his mother rescued. Some of them jumped on his legs, wanting to lick his hands and face, while the rest barked and meowed with excitement.

“Whoa!” Yugo exclaimed. “That’s a lot of pets!”

“Mom just can’t say no to strays,” Yuya explained as he picked up En and cuddled the corgi pup in his arms.

He looked over to see his mother in the kitchen—cooking a few more pancakes—and his father, who had just finished breakfast. “Morning, Yuya!” Yoko pleasantly said. “Were you talking to your friends?”

“Yeah,” Yuya answered, setting En down on the floor before taking his seat at the kitchen table. “And I need to talk to you and dad.”

“What about?” Yusho asked.

“I want to host a dance at the LID’s Center Duel Field,” Yuya explained, sensing that Yuto wasn’t present.

“What for?” Yusho asked.

“It’s for everyone who attended the Heartland Duel School dance,” Yuya continued.

This surprised Yoko and Yusho. They were curious as to why Yuya wanted to host a dance at LID’s Center Duel Field, so their son filled them in on what happened that very night. He really wants to give the students who attended the last dance another chance to hang out, sing, dance, and have fun, but more importantly, he wants to bring back the smiles that were taken from them by Duel Academy. He was also determined to make this an extra special night for Yuto and Lulu.

“What a kind thing to do for your friends,” Yoko said.

“And I’ll get everyone in Paradise City in on it,” Yuya continued. “It’s clear that the people of Heartland are still recovering, so they need to be happy again.”

“I don’t see why not,” Yusho said. “I’ll even contact Skip and Declan to see if they could help out.”

Throughout the day, Yuya, his parents, Yugo, Yuri, and Sora worked together to put together the upcoming dance. It was going to be a lot of work, so they need all the help they can get. Yusho called Declan and Skip to inform them about his son’s surprise dance for the students at his duel school and asked if they can help. Naturally, they both said “Yes”. Declan offered to distribute inviations to the people in Heartland City while Skip said he’ll talk to Zuzu to help prepare Lulu for the dance; they also made sure to keep it a secret. Shortly after hanging up, Zuzu and Henrietta came in to see what their respective relatives were talking about.

“What’s going on, dad?” Zuzu asked.

“Great, you’re here!” Skip said. “I need to speak to you privately.”

“Uh… Sure,” Zuzu said. “Okay other me’s. I need you to…go away for a while?”

“No, wait, Rin and Celina need to hear it as well!” Skip corrected.

“Alright,” Lulu said before she disappeared into Zuzu’s shared mind.

“Okay dad, Lulu’s gone,” Zuzu informed.

“There’s going to be a dance for the former students of Heartland Duel School,” Skip explained. “I need you to get Lulu ready for tonight.”

“A formal dance?” Zuzu asked.

“Yes!” Rin cheered. “As a fashionista of the Synchro Dimension, I would be more than happy to help Lulu switch out those old rags for better outfits.”

“I think Lulu can handle it herself,” Celina replied, aware that Rin and Lulu have different fashion sense.

“Don’t worry, dad,” Zuzu said. “I’ll see if Julia can help out.”

“So Declan, is there anything I can do?” Henrietta asked as Zuzu went over to the Krystal residence.

“As a matter of fact, there is,” Declan answered. “Because Yuya wishes to have the dance located the Center Duel Field, I was hoping you can arrange the decorations.”

“Certainly, Declan,” Henrietta replied.

As the day went to, Declan finished working on the invitations. He then scrolled through a list of XYZ residents who attended Heartland Duel School on his computer. After checking, he sent the invitations to the former students’ Duel Disks, except Yuto and Lulu. The gray-haired teen decided to message Shay to head on over to LID for measurements. It was obvious he was going to need a new suit.

Meanwhile, in the XYZ Dimension, life was slowly returning to normal for the people of Heartland. They have been working together to clean up and rebuild the city. Aster Phoenix, the Tyler Sisters, and Mamoru Noro even decided to stay and help the citizens out, continuing to distribute food, drinks, and medical supplies, as well as assist in reconstruction. Just then, a notification alarm went off from someone’s Duel Disk. Followed by a second. No, third. Fourth. Fifth. Now, multiple notifications were popping up from several Duel Disks. This was rather bizarre.

One of the Duelists who received a notification alarm was none other than Sarah. “Hey Alex, are you getting this?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Alex answered as he checked his Duel Disk. “I wonder what it’s for.”

They checked their notifications to see what it was. They received what looked like invitations. This was rather unexpected, but that quickly turned to joy when they read the invitations. They were invited to a dance at the Leo Institute of Dueling.

“A dance?” Alex asked. “We haven’t attended one since…”

Sarah sadly looked over at Alex. “I know,” she agreed. “Hopefully you can wear something than a hoodie and a poncho this time.”

“It was my _cleanest_ poncho!” Alex insisted.

Meanwhile, Aster checked his Duel Disk. “That’s strange…” he noted. “My Duel Disk doesn’t have a notification.”

“Neither does ours,” Gloria said as she and Grace showed Aster their Duel Disks.

Back at the Pendulum Dimension, Zuzu was heading towards the local spa, where she—well, technically Lulu—was supposed to meet up with Julia. The long, dark-haired girl has never met Zuzu’s XYZ counterpart before, so spending some time preparing for the dance in there can also result in the two girls becoming friends. The Fusion Dueltainer also figured this would finally give Lulu a chance to bathe; since she constantly had to deal with Duel Academy, she pretty much earned it.

Zuzu stopped in front of the spa’s entrance and looked through the windows to see if Julia was in there. Sure enough, she was there, waiting near the front desk for Lulu. “You want me to go to a spa so I can bond with a Fusion Duelist?” the dark-haired teen asked.

“Sure,” Zuzu said without hesitation. “You need to know that not all Fusion Duelists are evil. Julia’s a nice person, so you should spend the day with her.”

“Alright,” Lulu said. “If you say so.”

Lulu switched places with Zuzu, still feeling a tad bit unsure about this Julia person. She opened the doors and entered the spa; the sound of the bell grabbed the Fusion Duelist’s attention as she saw what looked like Zuzu but wasn’t actually.

“Uh… Hello?” Lulu told Julia.

The Gem-Knight Duelist walked over to Lulu. “You smell,” she said bluntly.

“Excuse me?” Lulu asked, alarmed.

“It’s your body odor,” Julia explained. “It smells like burnt rubble and blood. If that isn’t enough, your face looks unwashed and your clothes are severely damaged.” She lifted up a lock of Lulu’s hair. “And your hair feels too greasy, even under normal conditions.”

“Your point?” Lulu asked, taking a few steps back to make sure Julia stopped touching her hair.

“Zuzu explained everything to me,” Julia continued. “You need a complete makeover. Thankfully you came to the right person. By the time we’re done, you’ll feel like a new person.”

Lulu felt a little bewildered; she didn’t expect Julia to instantly find out how she hasn’t bathed in a while. It’s like she can detect imperfect hygiene, and you know what? Given that she can detect people’s talent and hesitation, one can consider this to be no surprise that she can also tell when someone is dirty.

Julia directed Lulu on where to follow her. Without any hesitation, she went along with her. The two girls headed to a special room designed for full-body pampering, which is what the XYZ user clearly needed. In it, there was a bathtub with a bathmat in front of it and was in between a couple of tabletops. One of them had bottles of bubble bath soap, shampoo and conditioner, makeup remover, face cleanser, and a facial cleansing brush whereas the other had a couple of candles with a sweet, cherry-blossom fragrance; both tabletops had small cabinet doors that contained towels and facecloths. Not too far away was a chair that had a light yellow bathrobe on it. There was even a smaller room meant for getting changed in and out of clothes. Lulu was astonished at the room she was led to.

“This is amazing!” Lulu exclaimed. “How-”

“I’m a regular customer,” Julia explained. “I was saving a lot of reward points, so I figured they could go to good use.”

Lulu was nearly in tears of joy. “Thank you,” she said.

Elsewhere, Yuya and Yusho were at a local clothing store, planning on getting Yuto a new tuxedo to wear for tonight. Since the tomato-haired boy has the same body figure as his XYZ counterpart, he’ll be helping his father with measurements. While that is going on, Yugo and Yuri were conversing about something; they wanted to figure out how they were going to get a new pair of prescription glasses for Yuto since his first pair was probably destroyed during the Invasion.

“I know!” Yugo exclaimed after a bit of thinking. “We’ll have Yuya go to the eye doctor so he can see what Yuto’s prescription is!”

“Except Yuya, you, and myself all have perfect vision,” Yuri pointed out.

“You sure?” Yugo asked, suddenly standing too close to Yuri. “‘Cause you tend to squint a lot.”

“I can assure you my eyesight is normal!” Yuri exclaimed, shoving Yugo away from him. “I simply have smaller pupils!”

“Geez, I thought that after the whole Zarc thing, you’d stop acting like a jerk,” Yugo muttered loudly.

“The darkness within Zarc’s heart merely clouded my judgement,” Yuri corrected. “That doesn’t mean my personality completely changed when that same darkness vanished!”

“Guess that explains why you haven’t gotten along with Celina yet,” Yugo pointed out.

“Miss Celina simply has a hard time accepting I have somewhat changed,” Yuri insisted.

“She probably doesn’t like how big of a spoiled brat you are,” Yugo remarked.

“Oh, that is it!” Yuri exclaimed. “Now you just got personal!”

As Yuya was about to try on one of the first suits in the fitting room, he overheard his Fusion and Synchro counterparts arguing. He wondered what they were even fighting about; they were supposed to find a way to get Yuto a new pair of glasses, but knowing Yugo’s short-temper and rude remarks and Yuri’s high nobility, disputes like this are bound to happen. Yuya decided to quickly intervene and help them formulate their plan.

“Come on, you guys,” Yuya said. “We’re supposed to be figuring out how to get Yuto new glasses without him finding out about the dance.”

“He started it!” Yugo exclaimed.

“Excuse me?!” Yuri angrily asked. “I’m not the one with a rude attitude!”

Yuya let out a sigh; if those two keep it up, either this day will go on forever or Yuto will end up finding out. Within only a few seconds, he conjectured an idea on how they will carry out their plan. It might be crazy, but it could work.

“I think I know how we can get this to work,” Yuya said. “But I’m going to need Yugo’s help.”

Yugo directed his attention towards Yuya when the latter mentioned his name. He looked rather puzzled; why did he need his help? Heck, why can’t Yuri help as well?

Meanwhile, Shay had just arrived at the LID main entrance. A bit earlier, he received a message from Declan telling him to come meet him inside the institute for suit measurements. He pondered on why he needed to be measured for a little while. Then again, he wore this outfit ever since the Invasion, so it would make sense to try and find something nicer to wear.

Upon entering through the doors, he noticed Declan waiting for him at the main lobby near the front desk. “Thanks you for coming, Shay,” Declan said.

“Why did you want to see me?” Shay asked.

“I have recently found out the Invasion on your home dimension began on the night of a formal event,” Declan explained. “And because of that, you have been wearing the same tuxedo underneath your coat. Correct?”

“Yes,” Shay explained. “When the Invasion started, none of us had time to change outfits.”

“Which is why I asked you to come here,” Declan continued. “Think of it as a thank you gift for serving the Lancers.”

Shay accepted the gray-haired teen’s offer. He hasn’t worn anything else other than his tuxedo and a trench coat since the night of the dance, so this will finally give him a chance to try on something new. Besides, it was the least he can do after being a member of the Lancers and helping them defeat Duel Academy.

Back at the spa, Lulu finished taking her bath. Seeing that it was her first one in a while, she needed it. She even got to bond with Julia during that time. It started when she asked the dark-haired girl what Fusion Summoning was like in the Pendulum Dimension; she and Zuzu are the only two Fusion users who were great people. Julia’s response was it was mainly used for Dueltaining, especially in Zuzu’s case. She continued by explaining how much her friendly rival has improved in this particular special summoning technique ever since they first met. The rest of their conversation involved discussing beauty tips and the different dueling strategies they use.

With Lulu wearing the bathrobe and had a towel wrapped around her head, Julia informed her that she can get dressed in the smaller room; she mentioned about picking a new outfit for the now clean XYZ user. Lulu was eager to see what her new friend picked out. When she walked into the changing room, she saw a long, sleeveless, and really beautiful dress hanging up. It was sky blue with frills at the bottom, had a lighter shade of blue around the chest area, and peacock feathers were attached on the side. Next to the dress were a pair of matching sapphire heels. She was so ecstatic about the new outfit Julia got for her.

Not long after finding the right suit for Yuto, Yuya and Yoko were sitting in the waiting room, waiting for his eye examination. “Wait, why would Yuya need an eye examination?” one may ask. Ah, but there’s a catch. It was actually for Yuto; Yoko being asked and taking Yuya to the eye doctor was part of his and Yugo’s plan. Of course, Yuto still doesn’t know about what’s going on. He was still deep within the shared mind, replaying his memories of his mother like home videos. He couldn’t help but repeatedly watch these memories, from his days as a baby to his gradual appearance and personality change to the last night he saw her. After everything he’s been through, he really missed her.

Suddenly, Yugo barged in. “Hiya!” he exclaimed.

“Not now,” Yuto said, wiping away forming tears from his eyes.

“Nope!” Yugo cheerfully said. “Yuya needs you out right now.”

Yuto was suddenly shoved out of the deep part of the shared mind. What on earth is going on? he wondered. And why does Yuya need me? It can’t be that important, can it? Before he knew it, he and Yuya quickly switched places, with the former taking control. What is this place? He looked around to find himself sitting in a chair in a doctor’s office. An eye doctor’s office.

“What’s going on?!” Yuto asked.

“It’s okay, Yuto,” Yoko reassured. “Yuya wanted to get new glasses for you.”

“But I don’t need glasses!” Yuto insisted.

“Relax, it’s my treat,” Yuya said. “Just sit back and go through the eye exam.”

Yuto couldn’t believe he was going through with this, let alone Yuya and Yugo planning something like this. Yuya did say it was his treat, but he still wasn’t so sure about it. Glasses always looked weird on him, so why do they even bother trying?

A couple minutes later, the eye doctor came in. “Hello Mr. Sakaki,” he said, thinking Yuto was Yuya. “Shall we begin?”

“Fine,” Yuto muttered in response.

Back at LID, Declan was typing down a list of measurements he needed to find a tuxedo that fits Shay. At the same time, Shay was wondering how Yuto and Lulu were doing.

“Does Yuto and Lulu know about the dance?” Shay asked.

“So you figured it out from my message,” Declan remarked.

“You’re usually not this generous,” Shay pointed out. “The new suit is for the dance.”

“Correct,” Declan replied. “And to answer your question, no they did not. Yuya wanted it to be a surprise for them.”

“Can’t blame him for doing that,” Shay said. “Discovering that they and the other counterparts turned out to be the center of the universe must have been hard for them to comprehend. At least my parents understand that Lulu is permanently fused to three other people. They still miss her, though.”

“If it makes you feel better, my father recently informed me that he’s currently working on a way to separate all eight counterparts,” Declan said.

That piece of information astonished Shay.  Leo Akaba, the man responsible for the Invasion, having the Obelisk Force card innocent people and Yuri kidnap Rin and his sister, and fuse all four dimensions just to bring his daughter Ray back, is working on a way to split them back into their individual bodies? This was amazing! That means his parents can see their daughter again! Simultaneously, another question struck his mind. After everything Leo did, why is he suddenly doing this? Is it an act of redemption? Or has he accepted that Ray may never return? Or was it both?

“Why is Leo doing that?” Shay asked.

“He takes full responsibility for Zarc’s return,” Declan answered. “He learned that if he had never tampered with the dimensions, none of this would have happened. Bringing back Zuzu was part of his separation plan. Once he receives a blood sample from each of the counterparts, he can work on separating them.”

“How come he never told anyone about it?” Shay asked.

“He’s aware of any possible consequences that might occur during the separation,” Declan continued. “For all he knows, they might receive permanent amnesia, or even end up with severe mental damage. He fears that the procedure is too risky at the moment.”

What Declan said just now is reasonably understandable. Not every plan is smooth sailing from here on out, especially the fact that the separation plan is still in its early stages. Who knows how long it will take for it to take shape? From the sound of things, it was going to take a while. It was also worth noting that this may be the first time someone is attempting to separate souls back into their individual bodies via blood samples. Shay didn’t think that was possible, but this is Leo they’re talking about; he would do whatever it takes to fulfill any plan he has, no matter how long it takes. The teen wondered if Lulu will be mentally okay or if she will remember anything once the separation is complete. He then decided not to worry about that at the moment; for now, he just wanted to focus on getting ready for the tonight’s dance.

“Thanks for telling me about it,” Shay said.

“You were the closest to Lulu,” Declan replied. “I figured you would understand.”

Elsewhere, at the eye doctor’s, Yuto finally finished his eye examination; throughout the entire exam, he wasn’t very fond of it deep down. Now he just has to wait for the results, but one thing is for certain: there is no way he was going to wear glasses, regardless of what anyone says. He said they look weird on him before and that’s an opinion he was going to stick with. Yuya, Yugo, and Yuri, on the other hand, would all beg to differ.

“What’s wrong with wearing glasses, Yoot?” Yugo asked.

“I told you, I would look weird,” Yuto repeated.

Yuto’s counterpart all agreed he would actually look nice in glasses; as an added bonus, it’ll be their first time seeing him wearing them since they have never seen him with a pair on his face. Yuya couldn’t help but comment they would make him look smart.

“Smart, huh?” Yuto repeated.

“Yeah,” Yuya replied. “Like a sharp businessman.”

Yuto pictured himself as a businessman with glasses on. Not only do they go with the suit, but they also seem to help give off an intelligent impression. This thought gave him a bit of second thoughts about thinking glasses looking weird on him; Yuya was left a bit dumbfounded on whether if that compliment fed his ego.

The eye doctor came out with the results; sure enough, Yuto needed glasses. But the fun part was coming up. One of the best things about getting glasses is choosing a pair that go well with the person. The Yu-Salad Boys offered to help him out pick some, such as choosing the shape and color of the frames. Some time later, they settled on the glasses with rectangular, light gray frames that worked well with his dark gray eyes. With a suit picked out and the examination finally out of the way, they now need to worry about Yuto getting ready without ruining the surprise.

“Thanks for the glasses, Mrs. Sakaki,” Yuto said. “Now I should really let Yuya-”

“Not yet,” Yoko interrupted. “As soon as we get home, I need you to shower.”

“What?” Yuto asked. Did he really smell that bad?

“Every time you take over, your stench makes the whole house reek,” Yoko explained. “It’s for the best.”

Later that afternoon, Yuto and Yoko returned to the Sakaki house and the first thing he did was taking a shower. He immediately headed straight to the bathroom, shutting the door for privacy and taking off his tattered attire. It was clear they also needed to be cleaned; he tossed them in the hamper so that they can get washed. Closing the shower curtains, he turned on the water and adjusted the nozzle until it was set at a comfortable temperature. He stood underneath the shower hose as water sprayed out and rained down on Yuto’s entire body, soaking his hair in the process. It was a miracle how it still maintained its shape despite it being as greasy as Lulu’s; he wondered how his girlfriend is doing right now. Once his hair was all wet, he grabbed a bottle of Yuya’s shampoo so he can lather some in his hair, but there was one problem: the bottle didn’t have enough shampoo for him to use.

“Yuya, please tell me you have more shampoo,” Yuto said, holding up the bottle.

“That should be enough,” Yuya pointed out.

“For you,” Yuto corrected. “Didn’t you notice my hair is longer than yours? I need more shampoo to get it fully washed.”

Realization hit Yuto. “Oh…” he said. “Right… There should be more in the bathroom cabinet.”

“Thank you,” Yuto said, turning off the nozzle and wrapping a towel around his waist. “But I hope you actually have Spike and Curl.”

“Eh… Come again?” Yuya asked.

Yeah, there was one slight problem with that. Actually, make that two. Yuya may have a crazy hairstyle, but it’s not as spiky as Yuto’s; he also hasn’t even heard of this “Spike and Curl” brand, so…that could be an issue.

Yuto let out a groan. “Why do I even bother asking…?” he muttered out loud.

Meanwhile, with Lulu, she was all ready for tonight. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and was amazed at what she saw. The dress and heels Julia picked out looked elegant on her; the loose braid added an extra nice touch to complete her appearance. It was as if she was a completely new person.

“Don’t start crying on me,” Julia said, taking out a makeup kit from her bag. “I still need to help you with the finishing touches.”

“Sorry Julia,” Lulu said, wiping away tears. “I haven’t felt this beautiful in months.”

Julia took out some blush, mascara, and some makeup brushes from her bag. Since Lulu was already beautiful, she only needed a light coat of makeup. Julia examined the assorted shades of blush to see which one would go with Lulu’s skin tone. She took one of her brushes, brushed it in the pale pink blush, and applied it on the latter’s face. Once that was done, she grabbed the mascara and used it to add a black coat on her eyelashes. Now completed with the finishing touches, Lulu looked at the mirror again, having a much nicer appearance with the added makeup; she was as beautiful as a princess.

“Thank you,” Lulu said, beaming with pure happiness. “I…” She couldn’t say anything else due to being so happy.

“Anything for a friend of Zuzu’s,” Julia happily replied. “Now I just need to bring you to the Center Duel Field.”

The Center Duel Field? At LID? Why there? Is anything special going on over there? Before Lulu could say anything, Julia led the way to the duel school; as a student of the Fusion Summoning course, she happens to know how to get there from the spa. A curious Lulu followed her, wondering what is happening.

Back at the Sakaki residence, Yuto had finished showering and is almost done getting ready. The black suit Yuya and Yusho bought fit him well; now all he has to do is put on his tie. He looked at his reflection in the mirror to put it on and make any adjustments to it, but he started fumbling. Something nearly caused him a trigger; he could have sworn he experienced this before, almost like a déjà vu, but what was it? He soon remembered what had happened back at Heartland City. He remembered checking his reflection on the night of Heartland Duel School’s dance. He remembered spending the night with the dueling club and having fun. He remembered Duel Academy suddenly invading and wreaking havoc in the city. He remembered…seeing Lulu and Shay’s parents getting carded…and his own mother getting killed by an attacking Chaos Ancient Gear Giant…as a way to protect her only child…

Yuya quickly heard sobs coming from his XYZ counterpart. “Is something wrong?” the tomato-haired teen asked.

Yuto heard Yuya’s concerned voice, startling him a little. He wiped away the tears as fast as he could before answering, but up to no avail; his Pendulum counterpart already figured out why he was sobbing. “The last time I wore a suit…it was when…” But Yuto choked up before he could finish.

Yuya could determine what he was going to say—because of the flashback he was told about earlier that morning—and comforted him. “Don’t get all sad now,” the Pendulum Duelist said. “Look at how far you’ve come since then. I can even help you get more clothes for you to wear so you can stop wearing those old rags.”

“S-Sorry,” Yuto said, stammering a bit.

“You can apologize later,” Yugo said. “Now you better head downstairs so Mrs. Sakaki can take you to-”

“Yugo!” Yuri exclaimed.

“Oh… Right…” Yugo said, feeling embarrassed. “Never mind.”

Wiping away the excess tears, Yuto finished adjusting his tie; he was all ready to go, except one thing was missing… His new glasses! He grabbed them off of Yuya’s nightstand, but before he could them put on, he stared at the pair. He couldn’t believe he was going to wear glasses again. This would make tonight the first time he has ever worn them in quite a while. Letting out an exhale, he finally put them on his face and checked himself in the mirror once more. What Yuya said earlier today was true; with the suit and the glasses, Yuto did look like a sharp businessman. He couldn’t help but smirk at his appearance. The Yu-Salad Boys loved the glasses Yuto was wearing… Well, Yugo and Yuri were in awe; Yuya was more stunned at the fact that his earlier comment is feeding his ego again.

Yuto headed downstairs and saw Yoko near the door, waiting for him. She told him Yusho and Sora had already left to go to the Center Duel Field, so they’ll catch up with them.

“I’m ready to go, Mrs. Sakaki,” Yuto said, bracing for impact.

Yoko turned her head to see how nice Yuto looked in his tuxedo and glasses. “Well someone knows how to clean up nicely,” she said.

Yuto blushed a little at her comment; he told her it took a while to get himself ready, especially when he was in the shower. He was more used to his mom being around. He thought back to when she was so proud of how much he has grown and attending his first dance. She even hugged him tightly, so he was kind of hoping Yoko would do the same.

Yoko asked him if he was okay, with him responding that he wished his mother could see him once more, especially considering how well-dressed he is for the night.

“I understand how much you miss her,” Yoko said. “You have every right to mourn, especially since she died to protect you. But you shouldn’t wallow in sadness. Focus on the now and how much you accomplished since then.”

Yuto nodded and thanked her for not only the kind words, but for today as well. Yoko smiled back and accepted his thankful compliment. They both left the house to head on down to the Center Duel Field.

Meanwhile, back at LID, the Center Duel Field was all decorated for tonight’s dance. Streamers were hung around the walls with balloons were scattered and tied up in various places. There were a couple tables located near the Field’s entrance that were set up with a variety of foods and drinks. The center included a stage with the band finishing setting their gear up. Declan walked towards Henrietta, who was holding baby Riley in her arms, to say how impressed she did with decorating.

“I’m impressed, mother,” Declan said.

“I used leftover materials from previous company parties,” Henrietta explained. “Unfortunately I couldn’t find any working festive lights.”

“Not to worry,” Declan said. “As we speak, Skip Boyle of the You Show Duel School is managing the lighting using one of Yuya’s cards.”

“Smile World?” Henrietta asked.

“Not quite,” Declan answered.

Up in LID’s Solid Vision machine room, Skip used one of the machines to activate a card Yuya gave to him earlier; it was called Smile Universe, a retrained version of Smile World. With a click of a button, the devices underneath the Center Duel Field began to illuminate planets, galaxies, and stars across the night sky, with the planets and galaxies having smiley faces on them.

“Not bad,” Henrietta remarked.

“What else would you expect from the son of Yusho Sakaki?” Declan asked in response.

Out of all the former students that were invited, Shay was the first to arrive; then again, he practically spent the day at LID helping Declan with suit measurements. His tuxedo was similar to the one he originally wore, except it looked brand new, was dark gray and the shoes were black instead of brown. Shortly thereafter, a lot more people started showing up. He could recognize them as students who used to attend Heartland Duel School. Among the crowd, he saw Sarah, Alex, and Kite and headed towards them.

Sarah was in complete awe over the scenery. “This is incredible!” she exclaimed.

“No kidding,” Alex replied. “First Leo Corporation hands out invitations to a dance, then they offer the students free makeovers, now this!”

“Guess this was their way of apologizing to us,” Kite guessed.

As the three continued to admire the decorated Duel Field, they noticed Shay, who was just about to meet up with them. “Hey guys,” Shay said, walking up to his friends. “Glad you could make it.”

“Why wouldn’t we?” Sarah asked. “We received these unexpected invitations for a dance, then Leo Corporation provided hot baths and new outfits to anyone who received an invitation. I haven’t experienced such comfort in months.”

“Although not all of us accepted the makeovers,” Kite said.

“I bought this shirt with my own money!” Alex exclaimed, gesturing to the tuxedo t-shirt he was wearing along with his usual pants and boots.

Shay, Sarah, and Kite all chuckled at Alex’s response. It’s been months since their last dance and he still doesn’t follow the dress codes. Kite wore a proper suit instead the one his father gave him whereas Sarah had a long-sleeved, aquamarine and white princess gown with a pair of diamond flats.

After a few minutes talking to each other, two girls entered through the doorway. They all looked over to see who they were. Shay recognized the dark-haired girl, who was about to surprise the other one, which he was more focused on. Who was that? She had her eyes closed, but something about her seemed familiar. He then spotted her long, loosely-braided, dark purple hair, lilac side tails, and her now open magenta eyes. It was his sister Lulu! He has never been this overjoyed before and he was extremely happy to see her again.

“Lulu!” Shay exclaimed, so glad to see his sister again.

Lulu heard someone calling her name. She looked to find out where that voice came from, leading her to see Shay running towards her. A small gasp escaped her mouth; she couldn’t believe she is seeing his older brother and was immediately filled with glee.

“Shay!” Lulu happily cried out, knowing she hasn’t seen him since the dimension crisis.

Shay ran up to her and they gave each other the biggest hugs they have ever gotten. “I never thought I would see you again!” Shay exclaimed.

“The feeling is mutual,” Lulu replied.

Kite, Sarah, and Alex saw Lulu as well and caught up with Shay so that they can also hug her. It feels like it’s been too long since they last saw their friend and they are thrilled to be reunited with her.

“You’re alright!” Sarah exclaimed once the group separated from the hug. “And you look absolutely amazing!”

“Thanks Sarah,” Lulu replied. “You look great as well.”

Kite smiled softly. “So how about that?” he asked. “The dueling club of Heartland Duel School is finally reunited. Funny how a dance hosted by Leo Corporation brought us together.”

“Leo Corporation did this?” Lulu asked.

“Sort of,” Shay explained. “It was actually Yuya’s idea. Yuto must have told him what happened when the Invasion began, so this was probably his way of saying thanks.”

For Lulu, this was quite the surprise indeed; she was amazed that this entire event was all Yuya’s idea. They now have another chance to bring back the fun and shared smiles that were taken from them by Duel Academy. However, someone was missing, but who? Lulu realized that the dueling club wouldn’t be complete without Yuto. She was right; he was an important member of the club, where (according to Shay) he underwent a big change ever since he joined.

The five members of the reunited dueling club searched all over the Center Duel Field to find Yuto, but none of them had any luck. Suddenly, Lulu saw two more people enter through the doors, but more particularly, the masculine one. She recognized that spiky, black and light purple hairstyle anywhere; it was Yuto, who was accompanied by Yoko Sakaki. The loosely-braided-haired girl stared at the outfit he was wearing. Last time she saw him, his usual clothes were practically his ruined suit on the night of the dance; instead, he now wore a clean black suit with a new pair of glasses. He looked really handsome.

At the same time, Yuto was astonished at what was happening. It was no wonder why his counterparts and Yuya’s parents wanted to help him get ready; this dance is amazing. Before he knew it, his eyes stumbled upon someone staring back at him. The person standing across from him was none other than Lulu and she was dressed beautifully. He found himself blushing at the sight of seeing his girlfriend in person once again.

“Uh… Guys?” Yuya asked Yugo and Yuri as Yuto walked over to Lulu. “Do you feel a weird thing in your hearts?”

“Yeah…” Yugo answered. “Weird.”

“Sort of,” Yuri admitted. “But I do feel something off.”

This was a strange feeling indeed; it has never happened before when Yuto and Lulu were in Yuya and Zuzu’s shared minds respectively. But now that they’re controlling their Pendulum counterparts’ bodies, this feeling was emitting onto the Yu-Salad. Even Zuzu, Celina, and Rin sensed they were also feeling weird.

“Yuya…?” Zuzu asked, concerned why she was suddenly feeling certain things towards the tomato-haired teen.

“Please tell me I’m not the only one getting this weird feeling,” Rin said, almost as if she could swoon.

“Trust me, you’re not,” Celina dully replied.

What on earth is this feeling they’re experiencing? They soon discovered why they were feeling this peculiar emotion: Yuto and Lulu were the reason. Their love for each other must have indirectly transferred to them. For Yuya, Zuzu, Yugo, and Rin, this was understandable, but what about Yuri and Celina? They have been rivals ever since Zuzu returned from the ARC-V machine. For the two of them, this was more unusual than what their counterparts were perceiving.

At the same time, Yuto walked over to see Lulu. Of all the times she was beautiful, this one tops them all. Everything from her attire to her loose braid to the touch of blush and mascara empathized her elegance and beauty. Likewise, Lulu can’t stop staring at his handsome features. His gravity-defying hair, his eyes, his suit. Everything about him was perfect; this was also the first time since the last dance that she got to see him wearing glasses. Although she liked his dark purple glasses, she knew the light gray glasses suited him more.

Once the two were right next to each other, they were so overjoyed to see each other. “You look beautiful,” Yuto said. “Absolutely beautiful.”

“Thanks,” Lulu replied, smiling softly. “You don’t look so bad yourself, especially since you stopped squinting.”

Yuto blushed a little at her compliment; maybe wearing glasses isn’t so bad after all.

Kite, Shay, Sarah, Alex were wondering where Lulu has gone off to until they saw her with Yuto. They ran towards them to give him a huge hug.

Yuto let out a small chuckle. “Good to see you too,” he said.

He was very glad to see his friends. They also comment how nice he looked and thanked them, saying he had some help getting his outfit together from a certain family. He turned around to see Yoko, who was with Yusho, giving him a thumbs up; he smiled back at her and gave her a thumbs up as well.

Now the dueling club was officially reunited.

Declan checked his Duel Disk to see what time is was. 8 PM. It was time for the dance to begin. He took a microphone so that he can make a special announcement to everyone attending the dance.

“Attention everyone,” Declan said. “I would like to thank you for attending tonight’s dance. I’m sure a lot of you are wondering why Leo Corporation is doing this for all of you, but wonder no longer. As you are probably aware, I have only invited former students from Heartland Duel School.”

He explained how their last dance was interrupted by Duel Academy when they invaded Heartland City. During that time, students realized he was right about what he was saying. During the Interdimensional War, people from Leo Corporation were turned into cards because the XYZ Dimension were confused as to who attacked them. Their confusion led to a grudge against the company because various members of LID were carded all because they were in the Fusion Summoning course. They all felt guilty about their past actions, but Declan reassured them it was okay; he knew how sudden and unexpected the Invasion was for everyone, especially for the former students.

He then went on to mention that putting the dance together was all Yuya’s idea; the Pendulum Duelist felt bad about what happened that fateful night and how Leo Corporation helped him set everything as a way to revive the lost smiles. Everyone cheered, applauded, and thanked Yuya for making this event possible. Although he wasn’t there physically, he saw how happy they were about attending the dance and was flattered with their thanks.

“There’s more,” Declan continued. “As we speak, my father, Leo Akaba, is currently working on making amends, as he takes full responsibility for causing the near destruction of the four dimensions. That is why I am pleased to announce that everyone in the XYZ Dimension will receive new clothing courtesy of Leo Corporation.”

Everyone’s faces were filled amazement; it felt like forever since they got to wear different clothes, especially since the clothing stores were pretty much destroyed. They all got excited after hearing the news.

Once all the announcements were made, it was time for the dance to officially start. “So Leo takes full responsibility for Zarc’s resurrection?” Yuya asked.

“Well I did give in as soon as I felt RinRin disappearing,” Yugo admitted.

He wasn’t wrong. If Leo hadn’t abducted the Bracelet Girls and fused them back into Ray, the whole Zarc incident wouldn’t have happened. But what matters now is everyone having an enjoyable time at the dance.

The band started playing music and everyone began to spend the greatest night of their lives. Some ate and drank, others danced to the songs, and the rest chatted with their friends. The dueling club talked about how they have stuff they should catch up on; after the whole Invasion fiasco, it would be nice to find some time to hang out with each other.

“Then Rella kicked that Ancient Gear Hound with her glass slipper-covered feet and reduced the Obelisk Force soldier’s life points to 0!” Sarah concluded.

Lulu laughed in amusement. “He must have been surprised that you defeated him using your Fairy Tails,” she said.

“He was,” Sarah said. “You should have seen the look on his face when I creamed him!”

Although Sarah rarely dueled, she uses a Fairy deck, consisting of not only Fairy Cheer Girl, but also Fairy Tail cards, with the XYZ monster Fairy Tail - Queen as her ace monster.

“So what have you been up to lately, Yuto?” Alex asked.

“Yuya wanted to give me, Yugo, and Yuri a tour of Paradise City a while ago,” Yuto explained. “One of the stops was a local museum, where I noticed an Egyptian exhibit featuring an ancient puzzle…or at least I think it was supposed to be an ancient puzzle. The only thing that was on display was a golden box.”

An ancient Egyptian puzzle? How odd. Rumor has it that the puzzle once belonged to a great pharaoh who was best known for sealing away the dark magic that caused special kinds of duels called Shadow Games. And now that magic hasn’t been on Earth’s surface for 5,000 years. Yuto remembered seeing something written in hieroglyphics on the golden box. It read: “The one who solves me shall gain the powers and knowledge of darkness…” He figured who that person could have been if they solved this puzzle. Perhaps a shy, game-loving high school boy who would’ve been destined for greatness…

“Has anyone tried to solve it?” Lulu asked.

“According to Yuya, a team of archeologists who discovered the puzzle mysteriously fell ill,” Yuto answered. “Since then, no one has dared to even touch the box containing the pieces.”

That piece of history didn’t sound too good. The gang pondered on what will happen if someone did try to solve the puzzle. Lulu didn’t like the thought of it; dealing with the Fusion Dimension after the Invasion was bad enough. The last thing she needed was someone unlocking the powers of darkness and bringing back these “Shadow Games” five millennia later. Yuto reassured her and the others that as long as the puzzle remains in the museum’s Egyptian exhibit, nothing bad will happen. Besides, they should focus more on enjoying this dance, which is exactly what they did.

“Then I guess it’s a good thing no one has solved the puzzle,” Lulu said, snuggling close to Yuto.

Yuto couldn’t help but lovingly look at his girlfriend snuggling next to him; it was really adorable to see her all snuggled up. He reached out his hand to pull her in close when something rather atypical happened. Instead of having it on Lulu’s hips, it accidentally went and touched her butt. A yelp escaped her mouth and an embarrassed Yuto quickly apologized; she forgave him, but mentioned it was unlike him to do something like that. She was right; Yuto is more of a gentleman and even he knows it, but what could’ve caused this unusual action? …Or who? He had a thought on who was responsible for this, and _he_ is within Yuya’s shared mind.

“That was Yugo, wasn’t it?” Lulu asked.

Indeed, it was Yugo. But why did he do something like that? Yuto might need a moment with him. Whatever he did might lead to some new and awkward issues.

“Oopsie…” Yugo said. “Didn’t mean to do that.”

“Don’t be sorry, you moron!” Yuri exclaimed. “Can’t you see-”

“-you’re ruining the moment?!” Yuto immediately covered his mouth.

Whether it was accident or not, Yuto was clearly mad at Yugo for doing something so perverted. He was just having a nice time with his friends and girlfriend. Of all the times for a stupid “accident” to occur, it had to be tonight. Before he could scold at him more, the Synchro Duelist blurted out that he just saw Rin instead of Lulu less than a minute ago. That was oddly surprising to hear; actually, it was more odd than surprising. Yuto asked him to explain what he meant by that. This action may be the beginning of what could spell bad news for all eight counterparts in the near future.

Outside of the Yu-Salad’s shared mind, Sarah and Alex both wondered what their dark, dual-colored haired friend was up to. They knew it involved his counterparts, but they didn’t fully understand it; they were still new to this merge after all. It was a good thing Kite, Shay, and Lulu had a grasp on it, seeing they were more tangled in the Interdimensional War than the duo. They decided to have the rest of the dueling club help them answer the questions that left the two a little confused.

“Yugo…saw me?” Rin asked, amazed.

Zuzu noticed her blush wasn’t fading away. “I still feel weird,” she admitted.

Celina huffed in annoyance. “Give me a break,” she said. “There’s no way Lulu’s feelings for Yuto are actually transferring over to-”

But they were. It was indirect, but the signs were evident on the other six counterparts’ faces. Although Yuya, Zuzu, Yugo, and Rin like it, Yuri and Celina didn’t. Having feelings for someone who aided Leo in his conquest to fuse the dimensions by carding people? Preposterous! She couldn’t bear the thought of being in a romantic relationship with him; if it did happen, disaster would be waiting around the corner. The closest thing to a relationship she’ll ever have with him is a rivalry and it’ll remain like that.

The thoughts, however, couldn’t leave their minds. The thoughts of the other counterparts wearing formal wear was impossible to not think about. Zuzu with her hair down, donning a sleeveless, purple dress with several frills below the purple belt and a pair of flats. Rin having her short, apple green hair curled and wearing a two-piece pink dress—a sleeveless top exposing her midriff and a floor length bottom that splits near the knees—with white flats. Celina without her yellow-orange ribbon tying her hair back and having on a long and simple looking gray dress with a thin white ribbon tied around the lower torso and some heeled boots. The Yu-Salad sporting suits reflecting their personalities—Yuya having on a red tuxedo that gives off an impression of entertaining the audience, Yugo with a white suit based on his Turbo Dueling style and rather impulsive behavior, and Yuri wearing a more luxurious, purple suit that highlights his nobility. They were impossible to not think about.

Yuri chuckled a bit. “You’re trying to seduce me, aren’t you Miss Celina?”

“Celina?” Shay asked, sounding a bit concerned. The indigo-haired girl who saved him after his duel with Sora and rebelled against Duel Academy by joining the Lancers? Why would Yuto mention her all of a sudden? Unbeknownst to Yuri, he unintentionally made his XYZ counterpart say his line out loud.

That was when Yuya had an idea. “Yuto, you brought your deck with you,” he recalled, remembering how Yuto placed his deck in his jacket pocket before heading over to the dance. “Can you check it?”

“What for?” Yuto asked.

“I want to try a small experiment,” Yuya answered.

Yuto took out his deck and checked it like Yuya asked. He wondered what this “small experiment” is until he noticed his cards were jumbled, baffling him. Instead of a Phantom Kinghts deck, he now has a Performapal/Phantom Knights/Speedroids/Predaplant deck. How did Yuya, Yugo, and Yuri’s cards get mixed up with Yuto’s? This night feels like it keeps getting weirder and weirder.

“Whoa!” Yugo exclaimed. “Not bad.”

“Not bad?” Yuri repeated, getting miffed. “What are my lovely, elegant Predaplants doing with such pathetic cards?!”

“This happened once before,” Yuya explained, recalling how Yuto’s love for Lulu caused him to duel with Phantom Knights. “Our conflicting feelings for the girls are causing our decks to get mixed up.”

If that’s the case, then does the girls’ feelings for each boy also result in their decks getting mixed up as well? Yuto asked Lulu if she brought her own, but she said “no.” Of course, with Yuto’s jumbled deck for reference, it’s safe to assume this may have happened to the girls as well.

Yuto put his deck back in his jacket pocket. “But we shouldn’t worry about this problem now,” he said. “We should just enjoy the dance.”

He was right; the night was still young and the former students were enjoying themselves, so the best thing to do is to have fun as well and resolve this peculiar issue another time. Besides, they can’t let this night go to waste. Leo Corporation worked really hard to put Yuya’s genius idea together. The other dueling club members agreed to discuss this issue after the dance and proceeded to spend tonight having fun.

Some time later, everyone continued to celebrate with one another. It was also the perfect opportunity for them to reconnect, share past fun memories and create new ones. At one point, the band was taking their break as the students socialized, except Shay. He couldn’t stop thinking about what happened to Yuto and his counterparts earlier. He knew his friend and his younger sister were in love with each other, but he didn’t expect their love to be _that_ strong. Did it inadvertently result in the rest of the Yu-Salad and Bracelet Girls to be put in some kind of trance? Whatever’s the case, he has to help them out. And he has just the song to fix it…

Shay checked to see if no one was looking, albeit the band since they were probably in their breakroom. He walked casually in order to make sure people became suspicious; a few seconds later, he snuck behind the stage. He looked at the main stage to find the speakers and saw them plugged in with the band’s musical instruments. Checking once again that no one would notice, he quickly unplugged them. He then took out his Duel Disk and a connector to plug it into the speaker. He went online to look up Yuto and Lulu’s song; it was called “Close To You” by The Carpenters. Found it, he thought once the first video in the search results showed up. He clicked on the video and—for a brief moment—the song played through the speakers. This will hopefully help all eight counterparts out.

Lulu let out a small gasp. “Yuto, this is our song!” she recalled.

“Indeed it is,” Yuto agreed. He placed one hand behind his back and he bowed slightly as he held out his other hand to Lulu. “May I have this dance, Ms. Obsidian?”

Lulu smiled softly. “Of course, Mr. Osaku,” she answered, intertwining her fingers with Yuto’s.

Together, Lulu Obsidian and Yuto Osaku danced to the melody of their song. Their gracefully fluid movements and well-timed choreography captivated the attendants. In the two XYZ users’ shared minds, the song seemed to have snapped Yuya, Zuzu, Yugo, Rin, Yuri, and Celina out of whatever trance they were in, mostly due to how each dimensional duo has a song that best suits them.

“Man, this song is too slow!” Yuya complained. “I’m outta here!”

“Me too!” Yugo said. “Besides, RinRin acts too much like a mother. There’s no way I can be attracted to that!”

“I was never attracted to Miss Celina in the first place,” Yuri agreed.

“Well…this is awkward,” Zuzu said, blushing hard. “We better give these two some privacy.”

“Yeah,” Rin replied. “I don’t even know what I was thinking. Yugo’s loud, rude, and disgusting. Why would I fall for that?”

“I’d rather go on a date with that Sylvio guy than fall for that cabbage-haired jerk,” Celina said in utter disgust.

And with that, the six counterparts retreated back into the shared minds, leaving Yuto and Lulu to spend the rest of the night with each other. Shay’s plan was a success. The two danced to the rest of “Close To You,” and everyone around them clapped and cheered for them; they pulled off one heck of a dance. Shay unplugged his Duel Disk from the speaker, plugged the instruments back right where they originally were, and exited through the backstage, with only a couple minutes to spare before the band returned from their break.

Even when the song came to an end, Yuto still held Lulu in his arms. “You smell nice,” he said.

Lulu responded by placing her left hand on Yuto’s cheek, her fingers briefly touching the stray light purple bang that hung in front of his eye. “And your hair feels a lot softer,” she replied.

Their eyes stared lovingly at each other as they embraced their cleaner features. Within a few seconds, their faces moved closer and closer until they locked lips, with Yuto’s hands on Lulu’s hips and Lulu still having one hand on Yuto’s cheek while the other rested on his shoulder. They were finally sharing their first kiss.

The rest of the former dueling club watched from a distance, with Kite smirking. “Well it’s about time,” he remarked.

Yuto and Lulu’s lips slowly moved apart after spending a few seconds locked up in their kiss. They looked back into their eyes before Lulu embraced Yuto in his arms.

“It’s been a long time since we had moments like this,” Lulu remarked, embracing Yuto’s warmth. “But you know this can’t last any longer.”

“I know,” Yuto agreed. “We’re each stuck with sharing a body with three other people.”

“But even though we were once whole, why does this feel so wrong?” Lulu admitted.

Yuto realized she was right. Several years ago, they were once Zarc and Ray; ever since the ARC-V incident, the souls of all eight counterparts were permanently fused into Yuya and Zuzu. Everything hasn’t been the same for them, especially for Yuto and Lulu. Despite having a great time at the dance, it doesn’t change the fact that they may never get a true happy ending.

Shay, while walking away from the stage, noticed overheard the duo’s conversation. Feeling bad for the two, he told them that Declan told him that Leo is currently working on a way to split them back to their original bodies. He said it requires a blood sample from each counterpart, but mentioned that it is still in progress and negative consequences may occur once it’s complete, so it was too soon to actually separate them.

“What?!” Yuto asked, releasing Lulu from the embrace. “Leo might be able to actually separate us?!”

“Declan told me it’s still in the works,” Shay repeated. “There’s a high risk of permanent memory loss or severe mental damage.”

“Then why don’t we just give Leo our blood samples?” Lulu asked.

“I don’t think it’s that easy,” Shay said. “Leo is probably using Arc-V, so he has to rewrite the machine-”

**“I don’t care!”** Yuto exclaimed, grabbing Shay by the throat. **“I can’t stand being fused to three people! Let us speak to Leo, or I will break you in half!”**

This was rather sudden. Yuto would never do something like this and that shocked Shay and Lulu. Veins started appearing on his face and his eyed turned yellow. Is Zarc trying to take over again? Lulu tried to calm her boyfriend down, but Declan arrived to explain what just happened. Apparently, this fit of violence is one of the side effects of being fused with the other counterparts. This worried Lulu, but was informed that this seemed to only happen with the Yu-Salad. The rest, however, applied to all of them. Their jumbled decks was also another side effect, as well as speaking in place of whoever was in control and the unexpected swaps.

Realizing that, Yuto recovered, his eyes changing back to grey and the veins disappearing. “Sorry,” he said, letting go of Shay.

“So can he actually do it?” Lulu asked. “Can Leo really separate us?”

“If this gets any worse, I’m afraid I will have to bring you to him,” Declan said. “Hopefully we can fix this before any mind merge occurs.”

“Mind merge?” Yuto asked, sounding concerned.

“Meaning that Zarc and Ray will gradually take over, erasing you eight from existence,” Declan explained.

The last bit of information was very worrisome. All eight counterparts each had different dreams for the future: Yuya and Zuzu want to continue their paths of being Dueltainers, Yugo and Rin also have similar paths as their Pendulum counterparts, but they want to be professional Turbo Duelists, and Celina and Yuri want to help improve Duel Academy. Lulu wants to be an actress, but Yuto is still unsure of what his dream is. Regardless, if nothing is done about this, Zarc and Ray will return, erasing the two’s incarnations from existence and their futures forever.

Lulu was in tears. “I hope Leo’s happy!” she exclaimed. “This whole mess started because he was too selfish to care about the lives of other people! If it wasn’t for him, I would have stayed in Heartland and worked on my dreams of becoming an actress!”

Yuto looked back at Lulu, who was on the brink of crying. He felt terrible that this was happening to the both of them. Suddenly, he thought of an idea; he was considering about remaining fused with Yuya while he, Yugo, and Yuri separate. He lost everything back at Heartland City that night, so this will give him a fresh new start. Living with the Sakakis and Sora already felt natural to him because Yoko reminds him a lot of his mother. The best part is with Yugo and Yuri splitting back to their own bodies means the risks of Zarc returning is reduced to zero.

“What if I said no?” Yuto asked.

“I beg your pardon?” Declan asked in response.

“I never considered any plans for my future,” Yuto explained. “And I ended up becoming an orphan with no home to go back to because of the Invasion. If I was to stay with the Sakakis, stay fused to Yuya, I can start fresh with a new family.”

“Are you crazy?” Lulu asked.

“Being fused to Yuya feels natural,” Yuto continued. “But with Yugo and Yuri being separated, Zarc won’t come back since all four of us are needed for the mind merge.”

“But Yuto, won’t you miss being in Heartland?” Shay asked.

“There’s nothing left for me there,” Yuto insisted. “No family, no house, no-”

“You could live with us,” Lulu bluntly suggested, carefully wiping away her tears to avoid smudging her makeup.

Live with the Obsidians? Even though they have to rebuild everything they lost, that idea is similar to Yuto’s, in terms of starting fresh with a new family and preventing Zarc’s return, but that means living with his girlfriend and having plenty of time to decide his dream for the future. Yuto actually liked her idea better than his own, although he admits that he will miss being fused with Yuya.

“She’s right,” Shay agreed. “Mother and father heard about you and they’re considering hiring you once ObsidianCorp is rebuilt.”

ObsidianCorp is a corporation led by co-bosses Kameron and Astra Obsidian, where they specialize in maintaining the nature of the city parks. Prior to the Invasion, the family wealth came from how the corporation did a fantastic job at keeping Heartland beautiful. Yuto was honestly not surprised about the Obsidians being wealthy because it could explain Shay and Lulu having rare and powerful cards, due to how powerful the Raidraptors are and how Assembled Nightingale can result in a one-hit KO for the opponent, and wearing incredibly fancy formal attires at their previous dance. Of course, restoring the company is essential for Heartland’s restoration; once that is complete, Yuto getting a job there can help out with figuring out his future.

“Really?” Yuto asked. “You’ll actually help me out?”

“You’re a friend,” Shay said. “And mother and father approve of how great of a person you are.”

“Plus ever since I told them about you, they started to work on wedding plans,” Lulu added.

Yuto officially decided to have his soul separated from Yuya’s once the time comes so that he can start anew back in Heartland. It sounds nice to be living with his friend and girlfriend’s family, especially knowing that they highly approve of their soon-to-be marriage, and working for their corporation.

“Alright,” Yuto said. “I’ll separate from Yuya.”

“Excellent,” Declan said. “I will inform my father that you know about his plan. I do suggest that you tell your counterparts about it.”

As Declan headed back to Henrietta, Yuto and Lulu informed the rest of the Yu-Salad and the Bracelet Girls in their shared minds about what has been happening and how Leo will try to fix it. They were gleeful about how they will finally be split back into their original bodies. They were also informed about the risks of severe mental damage or amnesia, but reassured them that their friends, family, and even Leo will be there to help them out. With that, the dueling club and the rest of Heartland Duel School’s former students spent the rest of the night enjoying the dance.

Looks like they may be getting their true happy ending after all…


	3. New Adjustments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the makeup dance done, Yuto begins to prepare for his new life with the Obsidians. But when certain words are spoken during the interview, Yuya makes a rather shocking discovery.

The next day, back at the Sakaki’s residence, Yuto was having difficulty figuring out what his new look should be. It was really nice of Leo Corporation to give the XYZ people new clothing, but if there was one thing that people sometimes forgot about getting dressed, it is deciding what goes with what. He looked at some of the brand new clothes to see what he can wear. Heck, he was even pondering about wearing his glasses, something he has never happened before, so you can say there’s always a first for everything.

Yuya, Yugo, and Yuri looked at the assortment of the provided clothes with. They were impressed with how nice they all were and wanted to help him out with what to wear. However, someone was getting impatient.

“Will you just pick something already?!” Yuri angrily asked. “I would like to have some of Mrs. Sakaki’s pancakes _before_ they get cold!”

“This is a new me,” Yuto said, lifting up a black dress shirt. “Once Leo finally separates us, I’m going to work at ObsidianCorp. I need to have a more professional look.”

“But who knows how long that’s going to take,” Yugo pointed out. “No need to get nervous.”

“Yeah,” Yuya agreed. “And you’ve known Shay and Lulu for a long time. I’m sure their parents are just as nice.”

“You wouldn’t know that,” Yuto replied. “This is going to be the first time I properly meet Mr. and Mrs. Obsidian. I want them to know how serious I am with their job offer.”

“You said they were making wedding preparations, Yoot,” Yugo recalled. “Clearly they already see somethin’ good in you.”

It was true; last night, Shay did mentioned how his parents approve of him. But in all seriousness, Yuto is preparing for his new life and he doesn’t know what to expect. Whether the separation plan will get done today, this week, or some time later during the year, he wants to be ready. For a young, teenage boy who grew up in a middle class, entering a higher social status is pretty serious business. The sheer thought of it is putting a lot of pressure on him.

Detecting that Yuto was still pretty nervous, Yuri let out a frustrated sigh. “If it makes you feel any better, I suppose I could give you some…advice.”

Yuto did his best to repress a laugh. “I’m serious!” Yuri exclaimed. “Dueling wasn’t the only thing Leo taught me in Duel Academy!”

“Like how to dress like a snooty rich boy?” Yuto sarcastically asked.

“Wait, Yuto,” Yuya said. “Yuri might be on to something.”

Yuto soon realized that Yuya is right. Yuri ended up having to remind him that ever since he met Leo as a kid, he was taught about etiquette and how to behave properly. Seeing that he grew up in a high class environment in Duel Academy, he knows how his XYZ counterpart should dress for his first meeting with Shay and Lulu’s parents.

After a quick few minutes, he picked out a semi-casual outfit for Yuto to wear. It consisted of his light gray glasses, a long-sleeved black shirt with a dark grey business jacket, dark blue jeans, black shoes, and a necklace similar to his old one. Yuto was surprised about the clothes he was wearing while Yuri felt quite proud of himself.

Yuto smirked at his reflection in the bedroom mirror. “Not bad, rich boy,” Yuto remarked. “I look good.”

“That’s good to hear,” Yuri said. “Now you might need to fix your hair.”

“What?” Yuto asked. “But my hair looks alright.”

“Do you honestly think Mr. and Mrs. Obsidian would take you seriously with those crazy eggplant locks?” Yuri asked.

The only hairstyle Yuto had other than it being pushed back was when he had his bangs covering his eyes when he a kid. He was honestly unsure if a different hairstyle would look good on him. Yuri suggested getting a trim since it is longer and not appropriate in a high class environment. Yuto was a bit hesitant on that suggestion because he wasn’t sure if it will suit him.

“What utter nonsense!” Yuri exclaimed. “Yuya, Yugo, and myself all have shorter hair, and we look alright.”

It wasn’t Yuto’s fault. He’s more used to a longer haircut than shorter ones. Besides, he isn’t in the same social class as Yuri; for now, he decided that using hair gel would be the best he can do. After the XYZ Duelist managed to smooth out his naturally spiky hair using some gel he found in the bathroom, Yuri reminded him to head downstairs for breakfast, which he did.

Yuto followed the smell of Yoko’s pancakes to the kitchen, where he met up with Yoko, Yusho, and Sora. “Well someone looks nice,” Yoko commented.

“I was planning on speaking to Mr. and Mrs. Obsidian about the job offer,” Yuto explained.

“Aww… So you’re just going to leave us?” Sora sadly asked.

“I’ll still remember to visit once Leo separates us,” Yuto explained.

“I must say, Leo separating you and the other counterparts must be a lot of hard work,” Yusho remarked. “Skip said Zuzu seems alright with it as well.”

“I hope so too,” Yuto agreed.

Meanwhile, at the Boyle residence, the Bracelet Girls were also getting ready for the day. Lulu, in particular, was taking a long time brushing her long, dark purple hair. She was already wearing her new look: a white sundress and silver sandals. The other girls wondered how long it will take for her to finish brushing her hair. Much like Yuto, she has a longer hairstyle than her Pendulum, Synchro, and Fusion counterparts.

“Come on, Lulu!” Rin exclaimed. “Wouldn’t it be easier to have shorter hair?”

“I spent my whole life wanting to have long hair,” Lulu explained. “So I have learned how to properly maintain it.”

“How did you even manage to survive the Invasion?” Celina asked. “There had to be some instances when your hair caused a disadvantage for you.”

“There weren’t,” Lulu recalled. “I know that could be a problem, but I’m an Obsidian. All the women from my family have learned to stay beautiful even under unfortunate events.”

“I thought so,” Celina remarked. “You look pretty okay for someone who dealt with a huge battle.”

“That’s not true,” Lulu sadly admitted, setting her brush down on Zuzu’s vanity.

The XYZ Duelist moved her long hair over her shoulder so that she could unzip the back of her dress. Zuzu, Rin, and Celina all gasped as they say what was on her back: a huge, deep scar. Lulu explained that she received it from one of the Ancient Gear Hunting Hounds during the Invasion; it has already healed, but the damage was still there. The other three girls felt awful that something like this happened to their XYZ counterpart. It was no wonder why she decided to keep her hair long.

“So you insist on having long hair to hide your scar?” Zuzu asked.

“Correct,” Lulu answered, zipping up her dress. “The attack happened near the initial strike on Heartland. The damage was so bad that I had to get metal plates into my spine. It was why I had to sit out during most of the battles.”

Zuzu comforted Lulu; battle scars are always hard to bear on one’s body, so she reassured her it was completely okay of her to have long hair. She even said she’s always available to talk to if there is anything troublesome. A soft smile formed in Lulu’s face.

“Thanks,” Lulu said, tying her hair up in a ponytail.

“You’re welcome,” Zuzu replied. “Besides, if you feel comfortable having long hair, you should keep it.”

Lulu happily nodded her head. Initially, Shay, Yuto, and the Resistance were the only ones who knew about her injury. It was nice to know her counterparts were also there to help her out in coping with her scar. She even liked having long hair, so hearing Zuzu say that made her feel more at ease.

Speaking of Shay, he was in the middle of talking to Kameron and Astra, his and Lulu’s parents, in Heartland. Ever since the Invasion, the two were thinking about pulling their son out of high school so that he can prepare himself for when he ends up taking control of the company.

“What?” Shay asked, sounding alarmed. “But I need the education.”

“We understand that, son,” Kameron said. “But that Invasion made us realize any unfortunate tragedy could leave us dead. It’s a miracle we survived that horrible attack.”

“What about my friends?” Shay asked. “I even have a dueling club at school.”

“And we respect that,” Astra said. “But your father is right. What if we were to die during another unexpected event? You need to prepare to take over ObsidianCorp at a given moment.”

They do have a point. The Invasion resulted in so many people getting carded, including Kameron and Astra, and only one known fatality: Yuto’s mother. Even though education was important to Shay, he also didn’t want to take over the company unprepared. Knowing there is no point in arguing, he decided to accept his parents’ request to get pulled out of school.

“Alright,” Shay said. “I respect your decision.”

“You’ll thank us, Shay,” Kameron said, patting his son on the shoulder. “ObsidianCorp is going to be all yours someday. You need to know how the company works.”

The phone on the desk buzzed; the company’s secretary told Kameron that someone is expecting to meet him and Astra. He told her to send them up to their office. A few minutes later, the doors opened and Yuto walked in, feeling a bit tense. This is finally the opportunity to introduce himself to Mr. and Mrs. Obsidian and to explain about how he is looking forward to their job offer.

Kameron let out a small chuckle. “Well if it isn’t Yuto Osaku,” he said. “It’s good to finally meet you.”

Suddenly, Yuto knelt before the co-bosses of ObsidianCorp. “It’s an honor to finally meet you,” he said. “I have come for the job offer you have promised me.”

The poor guy can’t help the fact that he’s nervous. Shay reminded his eggplant-haired friend that there’s nothing to be nervous about; his parents are really nice and they have been looking forward to meeting him. Yuto got up and apologized for how anxious he is about today. The two replied that it’s completely fine—everyone gets nervous about preparing for their first jobs. He sat down in one of the two chairs in front of the desk and asked about this job offer.

“So what’s the job offer?” Yuto asked, feeling more relaxed.

“We’re glad you asked,” Astra replied as she and Kameron sat behind their co-shared desk. “As you’re aware of, an Invasion from the Fusion Dimension hit the city a few months ago. Since then, we have struggled to restore ObsidianCorp back into its original glory.”

“And a while ago, my wife and I decided to prepare our company for any other attacks,” Kameron continued. “So we need someone to run the company’s new dueling branch to prep the other employees in case such an emergency struck again.”

This job offer amazed Yuto. When he was but a shy, lonesome kid, he became one of the dueling club’s members, and now he is given a chance to prepare the employees for other unexpected emergencies by making sure they hone their dueling skills. Most companies have duels for brain exercises and as hobbies, but this is the first time an actual company implemented a dueling branch, so no doubt this was some astonishing news.

Yuto accepted their job offer, but he was curious about when his first day will be. Astra asked if there was something else going on; the young teen’s answer was “Yes…” for the most part. He and Shay both explained about how Leo is currently working on a way to separate Yuto and Lulu from their counterparts; it was still in its early stages, so he plans on starting once he and Shay’s sister get their own bodies back without any mental consequences.

“Of course, Mr. Osaku,” Astra said. “Lulu hasn’t been able to come home ever since she vanished months ago. Shay explained everything to us, but we greatly miss her.”

“In the meantime, we wish to see your dueling skills in action,” Kameron informed.

“How come?” Yuto asked.

“So we can see if you’re a good Duelist like Shay and Lulu said you are,” Kameron explained. “If you really are the best, this shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Of course not,” Yuto replied, even though he was freaking out on the inside.

In the shared mind, Yuya has been freaking out as well, but it was for a different reason. He couldn’t believe he heard Yuto being addressed by his full name: Yuto Osaku. Sure, he thought Lulu mentioned his surname during the dance, but he was distracted by Zuzu at that point. Yugo and Yuri were also shocked about this revelation, but definitely not as shocked as Yuya.

The two tried to help their Pendulum counterpart relax, but he has so many questions. What was his life like with his mother outside of school? What did Ms. Osaku look like? Did the tomato-haired teen have any other relatives? Yuri eventually had to snap him out of his state and remind him of what their emotions can do to their decks. Yuya quickly realized this and checked his deck, only to find his Performapals have been switched with Yuto’s Phantom Knights. He had been caught up in the heat of the moment that he didn’t notice until after he was calmer. Since Yuto hasn’t noticed about the second deck swap happening, the three agreed to remain silent.

Later on, Yuto was getting ready to duel against ObsidianCorp’s simulation. He may be screaming internally over the thought of wanting to prove he’s a good Duelist to Kameron and Astra, but at the same time, he was also determined for the very same reason. Just when he took out his deck to put it in his Duel Disk, he got a quick glance to see they were not his cards. Those were Yuya’s! When did this even happen?! The rest of the Yu-Salad, especially Yuya, may have an explanation about this.

“I’m so sorry, Yuto!” Yuya exclaimed. “But I can’t stop thinking about how your last name is the exact same as my mom’s maiden name!”

Now **_THAT_** was shocking to hear! Yuto’s jaw dropped with eyes opened large, dropping Yuya’s deck and his Duel Disk on the floor. So that means not only both their mothers are sisters, he and Yuya are cousins? Yugo and Yuri grew more surprised than they were earlier; they now know Yuya had a valid reason to freak out, but it didn’t help ease their confusion. It was clear that there was more to Yoko and Ms. Osaku than meets the eye.

“Are you alright?” Kameron asked.

“I’m fine,” Yuto replied, carefully picking up the deck and his Duel Disk.

“Your moms can’t be sisters!” Yugo insisted. “They grew up in different dimensions!”

“Mom never even mentioned having a sister,” Yuya recalled. Then he had an idea. “Hey Yuto, can you let me see your memories so I can see what your mom looked like?”

Yuto gave permission Yuya to do so under one condition: he has to remain deep within their shared mind so that it doesn’t interfere with the duel against the simulation. Yuya nodded his head, but before he could do that, he gave the Phantom Knights back to Yuto, with the former receiving his Perfomapals. He wish his XYZ companion good luck before disappearing into the mind, with Yugo and Yuri following suit. Yuto placed his real deck into his Duel Disk; it was time for him to prove his worth to the Obsidian family company.

Elsewhere, the rest of the Yu-Salad traveled deep into their shared mind to look for Yuto’s memories. Yuri questioned why Yugo was leading the way when they all know the way to the mind’s depths. The latter responded that he remembers exactly where Yuto was watching his memories of his mother, resulting in Yuri rolling his eyes. Surprisingly, they found the very spot Yugo was looking for; the memories involving Ms. Osaku were still there, but instead of them being played on a loop, they were paused. Yuya ran to take a glimpse at Yuto’s memories and settle this confusion. He noticed that she does look his mother, expect she had dark blonde hair and her eyes were wider and more feminine.

“No…” Yuya said, alarmed with seeing the resemblance. “This can’t be!”

“Maybe she got caught up in the crossfire during the initial separation,” Yugo guessed.

“What a wonderful idea,” Yuri responded. “Except there’s one problem.”

“What’s that?” Yugo asked.

“Neither of us had any mothers!” Yuri answered (referring to himself and the Synchro Duelist) as he slapped Yugo on the back of his head.

“Yuri’s right,” Yuya said, searching through the memories. “Besides, Yuto’s mom looks slightly younger than mine.”

Several minutes have passed and aside from her appearance, they hardly got any new information about Ms. Osaku. Now what? Yuto is probably still dueling against the simulation, so the best thing they can do for now is to wait for him to finish and tell him what they have managed to gather.

Meanwhile, with Yuto, his duel was progressing well. Right now, he just XYZ Summoned Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon and activated his effect. He detached one of his dragon’s Overlay Units to have him half the simulation’s monster’s 1000 ATK and have him gained that lost ATK. Now with an increased ATK of 3000, he declared his attack.

“I will now attack Deskbot Jet with Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon to conclude this duel,” Yuto stated, deliberately controlling his dueling excitement to look more professional.

Dark Rebellion knew that he was in a professional environment and he had to get used to it by toning down his signature move, much to his annoyance. He calmly walked up to Deskbot Jet and mashed his head against the monster, reducing the simulation’s LP to 0.

Kameron and Astra were impressed with how Yuto dueled while Shay smiled at his friend; he could tell this duel earned his the job offer.

“I’m impressed, Mr. Osaku,” Kameron said. “My wife and have certainly made the right choice to hire you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Obsidian,” Yuto said. “I won’t let you down.”

“I should have known you were perfect by looking at the type of cards you were using,” Astra added. “Only a noble person like you could wield the Phantom Knights. Lulu has a great choice in men.”

Yuto did his best to hide his blush, but what Astra said was true. The Phantom Knights helped make him into the noble and chivalrous person he is, and Lulu’s preferences in men led to the two dating; Astra and Kameron sure do approve of their relationship.

Later that day, after saying goodbye to the Obsidians, Yuya, Yugo, and Yuri asked how the duel went. Yuto answered that it went well, leading him to getting the job. The Yu-Salad were proud of their XYZ companion until they remembered that they have to let him know what information they got after checking his memories. Yuya told Yuto that Ms. Osaku looks like a younger, feminine version of his mother Yoko. Yuto asked if that was all they could gather and Yugo replied that they may have an idea on what her name is; they all said her name was Lono. Based on what was given, all four boys decided to ask Yoko if she knows anything about Lono.

“Who?” Yoko asked.

“Lono Osaku,” Yuya repeated. “She looks so much like you, and I want to know if you have a sister.”

“I’m sorry, but I never had any siblings,” Yoko admitted.

This was bizarre; the boys are convinced that Lono is Yoko’s sister, but how can she not know her? Either she was an only child or she doesn’t remember her at all. Yuya asks if Declan is still at LID, and Yoko responded that he was. He has a feeling that Leo Corporation’s CEO may help her out in figuring out this familial mystery. The tomato-haired teen told her that he was heading downtown to meet up with him, and a puzzled Yoko ended up following her son.

At LID, Declan was in his office when Henrietta noticed Yuya heading towards the duel school alongside his mother. The gray-haired teen saw them too; whatever the situation was, it must have been important or mysteriously intriguing. He paged Claude to let him know they can go up to his office once they enter the building. The doors soon opened, revealing Yuya and Yoko.

“Hello Yuya,” Declan said. “It has been a long time since we spoke. What brings you here?”

“I demand some answers,” Yuya insisted. “Who’s Lono Osaku?”

“Why do you ask?” Declan asked.

“Because that was the name of Yuto’s mother,” Yuya answered. “You did research on Heartland before the Invasion. Who is she?”

Declan pulled out a couple of holographic pictures from his computer. “Lono Osaku was a woman living in Heartland. Not much is known about her prior to the dimensional split, but she raised Yuto as a single mother. While her parenting skills could be described as ‘smothering’ due to her kind heart, I do believe she raised Yuto properly.”

Yoko looked at the displayed pictures; something about her seems familiar. Declan noticed her scanning the pictures and asked her if she was okay. She answered that she feels like she is starting to remember something.

“What happened to her?” Yuya asked. “According to Yugo, Yuto was in tears when he was remembering her.”

“The Invasion happened,” Declan exclaimed. “While I do not have any pictures of the event, I can tell you that Lono was killed by Obelisk Force.”

“Then she should still be alright,” Yuya said.

“I said killed, not carded,” Declan emphasized. “She died shielding Yuto from getting killed by a Chaos Ancient Gear Giant. While it’s true that everyone who was carded was brought back to life, there is no way to bring back Lono Osaku.”

So that’s why Yuto was upset, Yuya thought. She did a fantastic job raising him and was willing to sacrifice herself just to keep her only child safe. The poor guy really missed his mother.

Speaking of, he turned his head to see his own mother in tears. The added information must have helped her remember more; as a result, she ended up crying. Declan asked Yoko again if she was alright, only for her to respond that everything prior to the dimensional split is coming back to her. She then started mourning Lono’s death and mentioned how she never got a chance to reunite with her Imōto (“younger sister” in Japanese). Yuya comforted his mother and helped her calm down.

“Lono was never interested in dueling,” Yoko recalled once she calmed down. “She enjoyed watching duels, but she always thought I was the better Duelist. She was always there for support, even helping me out when I married Yusho.” She laughed a little. “She was both the maid of honor and the wedding planner.”

Yuto overheard this bit of information. He never knew his mother’s past life because his timid nature prevented him from asking as a kid, as well as Lono focusing on taking care of her son up until the Invasion occurred. He felt a little guilty about not asking her in the first place; if he did, then there would be a chance of this mystery getting solved way earlier. Then again, Lono most likely ended up with amnesia when the dimensional split struck, so it wouldn’t make a difference.

Yuya felt Yuto’s presence nearby and asked his now revealed cousin if anything was on his mind. Sure enough, there was. He explained about how this mystery was his fault because he never learned about what other relatives he had besides his mother. Yuya was about to mention if he knew his father, but was cut off with a “Never knew him.” He went on to say that it wasn’t his fault; everyone learns about their family’s history whether they’re young or old. Besides, it was kind of amazing to know that he had been fighting alongside his cousin throughout the Interdimensional War and didn’t realize they were related until now. After Yuya’s reassurance, Yuto admitted that this revelation was rather interesting.

“I know we were part of Zarc, but I still like to think this new information makes us cousins,” Yuto said.

“No kidding,” Yuya agreed. “Funny how he made you the son of my aunt.”

The two got a chuckle out of Yuya’s remark. They knew Zarc’s incarnations had individual lives, but they never thought it could make them related in a family. Their lives weren’t the same ever since this discovery, but from the looks of this, they may have begun getting used to it.


	4. My Fair Yugo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the eight counterparts finally adjust to their new lives, they quickly realize Yugo might actually have some issues. Luckily Rin has an idea to help calm down her quick-tempered friend: a friendly sleepover.

A few days have passed since Yuto’s job offer and the mystery of Yoko and Lono’s familial relation. At one point, Yuto realized that if he and Lulu were to get married, then that would mean Yuya would end up being her cousin-in-law. The Sakaki/Osaku family tree might be getting crazier with every possible thought. Aside from that, life has been going normally for the Yu-Salad and Bracelet Girls.

Today, Yuya and Zuzu were continuing with their training with Frederick, Allie, Tate, Gong, and Sora at the You Show Duel School. They were practicing different special summoning methods, including XYZ Summoning, something Zuzu suggested on the day she, Yuya, and Gong dueled against Julia, Dipper, and Kit respectively. Right now, she and her tomato-haired friend were demonstrating how to Fusion Summon to everyone else.

“Alright everyone!” Yuya exclaimed. “Time to swing this performance my way with Performapal Trump Witch and my newest addition to the show: Performapal Card Gardna! I’m taking control of this duel starting now!”

Card Gardna looked like a card with green eyes, a smiling face with oval blushes, white gloves, and white shoes. Its card had a magenta and black checkered pattern on the bottom half, two light yellow rings surrounding a pink circle and a yellow star on the upper half, and a light gold border with 12 light gold studs around it. Yuya used his Scale 4 Trump Witch and Scale 8 Card Gardna to set the Pendulum Scale, enabling him to summon any monsters between Levels 5 and 7.

“I’m allowed to summon monsters from Levels 5 and 7 all at the same time!” Yuya continued. “Swing far, Pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! My monsters are ready…to SWING INTO AC-”

“RinRin!”

Everyone was surprised to see that Yuya was no longer on the Duel Field, especially Zuzu. Taking his place was none other than his Synchro counterpart Yugo. Why is he unexpectedly taking over? Regardless, the Yu-Salad boys were experiencing another side effect Declan mentioned back at the dance.

“Yugo!” Rin exclaimed after Zuzu let her take over. “What was that for?!”

“Oh, come on, Rin!” Yugo said. “These people have seen Fusion Summoning so many times! How about mixing things up with a Synchro duel?”

Rin asked why he wants to Synchro duel and he stated that all he knows is that the High Council was immediately disbanding after Yuya won the last Friendship Cup. Besides, the last time the banana-banged Duelist dueled was against Yuri. In other words, he’s just finding an excuse. At the same time, the spectators thought Yugo was goofing off.

“But Yuya-” Rin started to say.

“Enough with Yuya!” Yugo suddenly yelled. “Ever since the dimensional war, it’s all about him! So what if the Duelist from the Synchro dimension won’t be able to fulfill his lifelong dream of winning the Friendship Cup?! Look at how amazing the Pendulum Duelist is! Don’t worry about losing your Duel Runner to your brainwashed-crazy childhood friend! We should all focus on all the smiles the tomato-haired Duelist brings! Sure, who cares about all the others as long as YUYA IS ****ING HAPPY!”

Tears started to form in his eyes. Despite Yuya having to deal with his father’s disappearance and Zarc’s growing darkness during the war, Yugo endured much worse events. He grew up in the Commons as an orphan, almost lost his childhood friend at the hands of Leo, had his only Duel Runner destroyed when a Fusion Parasite monster controlled Rin, and he is now fused with his three other counterparts, one of them in which he had a hatred for all because of a simple misunderstanding.

Skip escorted the students back into their classroom to give Yugo and Rin a few minutes to themselves. While the Synchro Duelist snapped about how it’s all about Yuya, the Pendulum Duelist felt terribly guilty. He had no idea his counterpart felt this way until just now. He wants to make it up to him, but he doesn’t know how.

“Yugo…” Yuya tried to say.

“SHUT UP!” Yugo yelled, slapping midair as if he was trying to hit Yuya.

“Maybe we should give them some space,” Yuto advised.

“Agreed,” Yuri said. “Perhaps the girls are doing the same thing.”

Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri retreated back to their shared mind, with Zuzu, Lulu, and Celina doing the same thing, leaving their Synchro counterparts the only ones left on the Duel Field.

Yugo fell to his knees, sobbing hard. “Why?!” he shouted. “Why do I always get the short end of the stick?! Why does Yuya get everything?!” He angrily punched the ground.

Rin knelt next to Yugo. “Don’t feel bad,” she said. “I didn’t really have an easy time either.”

Yugo looked up at Rin, tears staining his cheeks. “R-Really?” he choked up.

“I wasn’t really sure what was going on,” Rin explained. “The other girls said they believed in someone I never heard of, but if he was going to save us, I figured I had no other choice but to voice my support. But then…” She sniffled a bit.

Yugo knew what Rin meant. Throughout the entire Interdimensional War, she has never met Yuya until after the ARC-V incident started. If she was going to be completely honest, she felt the most hesitant about Yuya trying to save the Bracelet Girls from Leo’s clutches, especially when the darkness from Zarc was gradually consuming him.

“I don’t really remember what happened,” Rin continued. “The next thing I knew, I was fused to those other three girls. The rest is a huge blank.”

Yugo mentioned he doesn’t remember much either. The huge blank was when all four girls fainted and each disappeared to fuse back into Ray. At the same time, all Yugo remembered was he lost against Yuri and his soul merged with his Fusion counterpart, with the darkness taking hold of him. Then, when the dimensions split back into four, he, Yuri, and Yuto were fused into Yuya; Zarc’s reemergence most likely caused his memory to draw a blank.

Back in the shared mind, Yuya still felt bad about his Synchro counterpart. More so, his sudden lash of anger further upset him, especially when he was “slapped” on the face. The Pendulum Duelist placed his hand on his cheek, feeling the nonexistent pain from that “slap”. All he wanted to do was help, but he felt like he ended up making things worse. Yuto and Yuri stood not far from Yuya, talking about what they should do for the rest of the day after that heated incident.

“Don’t listen to that moron,” Yuri told Yuya. “It was your dueling style that erased the darkness from Zarc’s heart.”

“He’s right,” Yuto agreed. “My dueling style is more passive-aggressive, so I would have made things worse if I was in your spot.”

Yuya looked up at the two counterparts. He thanked them for trying to make him feel better, but he also wondered what they were going to do about this. Yuto said to leave the situation to Rin and let her handle it. He could tell she’s got it under control.

At that point, Rin was hugging Yugo as he sobbed. “It’s okay,” she said, stroking his blueberry-colored hair. “We both underwent a lot of stress during the war. We should embrace each other’s comfort.”

Yugo nodded as he continued sobbing. Despite everything they went through and their differing personalities, they still have each other and that is what’s important for them. As they embraced each other, he was feeling her warmth on his body and it was soothing. This may be the first time he didn’t mind her motherly personality; even from the way she was comforting him was like a mother comforting their child. The two spent the next few minutes embracing each other as the Speedroids user calmed down.

Eventually, Rin spoke up. “If you want, we can have a sleepover at Zuzu’s place,” she suggested, her fingers still caressing Yugo’s hair.

“Hmm?” Yugo muttered, still in a slight trance from the comfort.

“We can discuss new dueling strategies and come up with ideas for our new Duel Runner,” Rin continued. “It’ll be just like old times, just the two of us on the streets of New Domino City.”

Yugo looked up, seeing Rin’s smiling face. “You mean it?”

“Of course,” Rin answered.

Yugo shifted his position to hug Rin in response. “Thanks RinRin,” he said, happy to have a friend like her.

Later that night, at the Sakaki house, Yugo was getting ready for the sleepover with Rin; he finished taking off his Turbo Duel suit and began putting on his short-sleeved, teal shirt, white shorts, and a pair of light teal sneakers. No matter what clothes he’s wearing, he’s always confident about his looks… Maybe a bit too overconfident… Just when he was about to pack a toothbrush, some toothpaste, shampoo, and his deck to bring with him, Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri appeared.

“What’s with the bags?” Yuya asked.

“Rin invited me to a sleepover at Zuzu’s place,” Yugo answered. “Nothing special.”

Yuto looked alarm. “A date?” he asked.

“I beg of you, moron. Don’t screw this up!” Yuri said.

“And don’t get her upset,” Yuya said.

“As someone who has proper dating experiences, I would advise you to be yourself,” Yuto chimed in. “But that won’t work for you. Treat Rin like a beautiful princess.”

“So I should act like a stuck-up, one-dimensional prince from one of those old animated fairytales?” Yugo humorously asked. “Got it.”

Yuri groaned in frustration as he rubbed his forehead. “At least comb your unruly hair,” he said.

Yugo wasted no time as he went in the bathroom and combed his dual-colored hair. Yuri rhetorically questioned why it was even a miracle that he was going out with someone like Rin. Shortly thereafter, he began to teach the Synchro Duelist about etiquette. Since he grew up in a high class environment, it was the perfect time for him teach everything Leo taught him. As the old saying goes, “The student has become the master.”

“Is this really important?” Yugo asked as he had to walk across the room while balancing a book on his head. “Me and Rin came from a poor environment.”

“Yes, it is important if you want to win her heart,” Yuri said. “And the correct phrasing is ‘Rin and I’. Get it right!”

Yuto and Yuya watched Yuri’s lesson as they waited for their turns to teach Yugo about etiquette. Yuya pointed out that this is one of the easiest lessons in history, but Yuto reminded him that they’ll be teaching real lessons once Yuri was done. The Pendulum Duelist looked back at Yugo, who was still balancing the book on his head. He hoped all their advice will pay off for him tonight.

Not long after that, Yuya taught his Synchro counterpart everything he knows about acting and how it should be utilized in dates. He needs to find the right balance of when it’s appropriate to act or take things seriously. As for Yuto, he demonstrated his skills on how to properly talk to girls. He used his years of growing up and his first date with Lulu as references to keep Yugo’s quick-tempered, loud, and rude behavior in check. Pretty soon, they were finished with giving out their best advice.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Yugo said, combing his hair once more.

“You look great,” Yuto said. “Just remember to speak in a calm tone and listen to her.”

“But don’t forget to keep a good posture!” Yuri emphasized.

“And you have to convince her that this is the real you,” Yuya added.

Yugo took a deep breath as he placed his comb on Yuya’s nightstand. “Alright,” he said. “I got this.”

He gathered his bags and headed downstairs to meet up with Rin. He is really looking forward to the sleepover, but at the same time, he will be darned if she finds out that the boys mistakenly prepared him for a date. For now, he gathered his courage to use the tips and tricks he learned for tonight. He was about to say “What’s the worst that could happen,” but decided not to because let’s face it: literally anyone who says it ends up with some kind if worst-case scenario. It’s a known fact.

Meanwhile, at Zuzu’s house, Rin had already gotten changed into her pink top and yellow shorts, which were usually her pajamas. Zuzu asked what else she and Yugo were going to do aside from discussing deck strategies and ideas for their new Duel Runner. The green-haired girl replied that they can always watch a movie or two, play Duel Monsters, and plan for any more future tournaments besides the Friendship Cup since it was still dubious that it’ll continue next year. The Synchro duo were determined about becoming professional Turbo Duelists. Celina and Lulu couldn’t help but chime in at Rin and Zuzu’s conversation.

“Don’t you have other plans for the future?” Lulu asked, suggesting something else.

“Like what?” Rin asked.

“Maybe forming a connection?” Lulu continued, smiling wide.

“Like a dueling connection?” Rin guessed. “I’m not sure Yugo would feel alright with tag teams…”

Celina let out a groan. “I wish she was talking about a dueling connection,” she said. “Lulu was talking about you and Yugo getting married.”

“Oh, that?” Rin asked. “We already did that.”

Celina, Lulu, and Zuzu were shocked by this revelation. When did this happen? Have they reached a decision yet or did they already decide? They asked Rin what their plans were at the moment.

“What plans?” Rin asked. “Me and Yugo got married when we were little kids. The Headmistress even helped with the ceremony. It wasn’t really special.”

Wait, what?! Marriage at a young age?! How is that even possible?! This further threw the three girls for a loop. …That is until they quickly realized most kids pretend to get married. Looks like they may have to explain to their Synchro companion what marriage actually is.

“Uh… Rin?” Zuzu began. “Do you know what marriage is?”

“Of course,” Rin answered. “It’s a friendship promise between two close friends, which perfectly describes how I feel about Yugo.”

“My mother and father are making wedding plans for Yuto and me,” Lulu clarified. “Do you think we’re close friends?”

Rin initially was about to say “Yes,” but she remembered that Lulu and Yuto were dating. She soon processed this and was staggered by this. Romance was involved in marriage? But she and Yugo aren’t even dating; they are each other’s best friends and practically have a mother-son relationship. She might need a minute or two to let this sink in.

“Ew!” Rin exclaimed as she heard the doorbell ring, prompting her to leave Zuzu’s room and answer the front door. “I don’t feel that way about Yugo! He’s a great friend, but he’s loud, rude, and easily angered! Why would I even fall for someone like-”

When she opened the front door, however, she saw Yugo at the front door, only slightly different. She noticed he looked a lot cleaner with neater hair and a better posture. Pink blush faintly appeared on her cheeks.

“Hello Lady Rin,” Yugo said, speaking in a calmer tone. He paused to gently hold Rin’s hand and kiss the back of it. “What a delight to see you this evening.”

“Y-Yugo?!” Rin asked, unknown why he was making her feel like this.

“Don’t worry,” Yugo said as he entered the house. “This is the real me, the one I hide from the public.”

Her blush grew a bit more visible as she let Yugo into the house. At the same time, there was something about him that seemed a bit off. All her life, she knew he was never a proper person until just now; she decided to keep an eye on him…without having this weird feeling interfering. What even is this? I hope this isn’t love I’m experiencing, she thought.

The Synchro duo headed upstairs to Zuzu’s bedroom, where Rin said they will be hanging out for most of the night. She told Yugo that he can put his bags not far from the bed and she’ll set a mattress up with a blanket and a pillow for him in a few hours; if not, he can always sleep on the couch.

Yugo lightly chuckled. “I don’t think a couch is necessary,” he said, carefully placing his hand on Rin’s hip. “If anything, we can go back to our usual sleeping methods.”

Rin quickly stepped back and cleared her throat. “So…how about discussing design ideas for our new Duel Runner? I have a couple of plans to make it battle-proof.”

Yugo said he would love to discuss their new Duel Runner’s design, giving Rin a quick kiss on her cheek in the process. At this point, she is slowly becoming more convinced that this isn’t the Yugo she knows. Lulu, however, had more of an opposite reaction, commenting on how much he improved on his behavior and is acting more gentlemanly. That’s just it; Rin is completely unsure of whether or not she likes the new Yugo, despite the blush giving out a clear indication.

The two then began on what designs they should use. Although each one provides different statistics in terms of speed, traction, durability, and so on, they all have one thing in common: battle-proofing the Duel Runner.

“I was thinking about adding special shockproof shields near the handles,” Rin said, her blueprints laid out on the floor. “I know they’re expensive, but I was hoping Lulu could help provide them for us. And… Are you even listening to me?!”

Yugo, who had wrapped his arms around Rin’s body from behind and pulled her in close, was clearly not paying attention. “I hear you, Lady Rin,” he said. “Your idea is amazing.”

Usually, someone would tell the other that they need personal space, but that’s not the case for Rin and Yugo. Since they grew up together, they don’t have personal space. Heck, they’re even fine with a girl and a boy sleeping together in the same bed…platonically, of course. Yugo is not the affectionate kind of person. Correction: Yugo wasn’t the affectionate kind of person. Rin doesn’t mind hugs from him, but this is taking it on a whole new level. …And the blush isn’t making the the situation better or worse, despite how pinker it keeps getting.

Ultimately Rin got fed up. “Enough already!” she exclaimed, pushing Yugo back. “What’s with you?!”

“What do you mean?” Yugo asked, remaining calm. “This is the real me.”

“No it’s not!” Rin insisted. “I appreciate that you finally cleaned up, but your behavior isn’t right! Where’s the big-mouthed moron I made the friendship promise to?!”

Within Yuya’s shared mind, Yuri heard that. “Is that why he doesn’t react when I call him by that name?” he wondered aloud.

Yugo pondered at what Rin was talking about and—gradually returning to his old self while still keeping a bit of a calm demeanor—let out a sigh. Looks like it was time for him to come clean about his behavior.

Yugo let out a small laugh. “Sorry about that,” he said, relaxing his body. “The guys thought this was a date, so they gave me this weird advice on how to act.”

“That’s more like it,” Rin said. “But I like your cleaner look more.”

“Really?” Yugo asked.

“You smelled worse than Yuto,” Rin explained. “And you look a lot nicer with neater hair.”

Yugo blushed heavily. “RinRin…” he breathed out.

“Don’t get carried away,” Rin said. “We still need to improve our initial Duel Runner designs.”

The two continued working on improving their new Duel Runner and eventually settled on a design that is battle-proof and has some useful stats. They agreed to work on building once the separation is successful. Until then, they practiced their dueling skills, trying out different strategies to what works and what doesn’t. As usual, Yugo is still persistent and claims he will never give up whenever he’s backed into a corner.

Rin let out a heartfelt sigh. “You still don’t give up,” she remarked.

“'Course I won’t,” Yugo replied. “That’s one move I’ll never make.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to keep up,” Rin said as she played a rather interesting-looking card.

It was Polymerization. She hadn’t used a Fusion card since her previous duel with Yugo when she was brainwashed by the Doktor. How is it in her deck? Rin didn’t mind it because she has no ill will towards Fusion, even when Yuri kidnapped her. The only question is how Yugo will react to this. There’s only one way to find out.

“I’ll combine Winter Bell with the Ice Bell in my hand to Fusion Summon Crystal Bell,” Rin explained as she did so with her cards.

Yugo was shocked that Rin still had Crystal Bell. He started flashbacking back when she first used that monster and how it decimated him in that duel and destroyed their first Duel Runner. Rin noticed there was something wrong with him and asked him to see if he was okay.

“Why do you still have that card?!” Yugo asked, still hyperventilating. “You should have ripped it up by now!”

“Calm down, you moron,” Rin said. “The card actually has nice stats, so I decided to incorporate it into my dueling as a secret weapon. Zuzu and Celina have even gave me some advice on how to properly Fusion Summon, with Zuzu giving me this vintage Polymerization card as a starting point.”

Yugo had slightly calmed down at this point, but he was still concerned. “But what about-”

“Lulu ripped up Independent Nightingale as soon she could,” Rin explained. “Even though the rest of us are using Fusion, she’s still traumatized.”

Yugo let out a sigh of relief. He is glad to know not all the Bracelet Girls are using Fusion in their decks. Can you blame Lulu? Ever since the Invasion, she developed resentment for this special summoning technique, and her getting abducted and brainwashed didn’t help at all. Now having calmed down, Yugo and Rin continued with their practice duel.

Later that night, the two were watching a movie in the living room. They were left speechless at the amount of movies Zuzu and Skip owned, but they both settled on watching Beauty and the Beast; right now, they’re at the scene where Belle and the Beast were dancing. Rin always loved reading that fairytale as a kid, so seeing its movie adaptation was enjoyable for her.

Without warning, Yugo held Rin’s hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. “Yugo…?” Rin asked softly.

The green-haired girl stared experiencing the same weird feeling from earlier, only this time, it felt more comfortable. The blush returned and became a visible light pink on her cheeks as she looked at Yugo. His typical personality seemed to have coincide with his cleaner appearance, as if she was seeing him in a different light. For the first time, she thought that he looked cute.

Without thinking, Rin leaned in and gave Yugo a quick kiss on the cheek, causing Yugo to blush heavily. “RinRin…”

He realized that Rin had been cute all along and never batted an eye on it until now. Her short, apple green hair and orange eyes helped display her cuteness; he even liked the way her nose scrunches up whenever she gets angry. He softly smiled and laid his head on her shoulders, slightly surprising her. She looked at Yugo resting on her and couldn’t help but smile back. She turned her head back at the TV screen as the movie played.

Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri were astounded at how everything turned out. Even though it may not have been a date, their advice have paid off in the end.

“We should have just let Yugo be himself,” Yuto pointed out. “He seems to have things working out.”

“Only because I told that moron to clean his appearance,” Yuri informed. “There’s no way he could have won over RinRin looking like a slob.”

Yuya was taken back by what Yuri said. “Come again?”

“Yuri’s right,” Yuto said. “Now we’re finally dating Rin.”

Yuya and Yuri were nonplussed at what Yuto just said. He quickly corrected himself and said he meant to say “he’s” instead of “we’re”. They both knew what he meant to say, but they were more concerned about what he said. Based on the worried looks on their faces, they soon caught on as to what may be happening to them. It looks like the mind merge may be occurring quicker than they initially thought.

“Guys…” Yuya said. “We need to speak to Leo as soon as possible.”


	5. Mind Merge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the mind merge already beginning earlier than expected, Yuya and Zuzu head to the Fusion Dimension for the separation procedure. But along the way, they cross paths with a rather unexpected face...

The next day, Yuya and Zuzu arrived at the Fusion Dimension. They plan on visiting Duel Academy to talk to Leo about the mind merge starting earlier than expected and if the separation procedure is ready. Excluding themselves and their counterparts, they haven’t told anyone else because they don’t want to worry them. Once they are informed of what will happen, then they will break the news to everyone, starting with Declan.

The Pendulum duo noticed they were not at Duel Academy, but the Fusion Dimension’s city. They needed to get there as fast as possible, so they ran through the city, trying to find a boat and directions to get there. However, they didn’t get anywhere. As they stopped to catch some breath, Zuzu noticed a card shop not far from where they were. She suggested that they can visit there to see if anyone knows how to get to Duel Academy. She and Yuya arrived in front of the shop and opened the door, causing a small bell to ring.

“Hello?” Yuya asked. “Is there someone who can help us?”

A soft-spoken voice was heard, responding to Yuya’s question. “Welcome to Kame Game Shop. How may I help you?”

The person who responded had spiky, tri-colored hair, consisting of long, blonde, crooked, pointy locks and seven black spikes with a magenta sheen along the edges. He had fair skin and purple eyes with glazed eyelids. He wore a long-sleeved, light purple shirt with an open collar and folded up sleeves, revealing his black choker and studded wristbands, a purple vest, a pair of denim jeans, and dark gray shoes.

Yuya was taken back by the young man’s outlook, but he quickly got back on track. “We need to reach Duel Academy. Where’s the nearest boat from here?”

“Make a right and the docks should be straight ahead,” the young man replied.

“Thanks!” Yuya said, but Zuzu stopped him.

“Yuya, there’s something off with this guy,” the pink-haired girl pointed out. “Shouldn’t we help him?”

“Zuzu, we’re kind of on a time limit!” Yuya replied, sounding a bit frantic. “If we waste time, we might not even exist anymore!”

He does have a point; with the mind merge beginning to take place, who knows how long it’ll last before it’s too late…or how fast it’ll be. Fortunately, Zuzu just came up with an idea. She whispered in Yuya’s ear, urging him to have the young man come with them; that way, they will head to Duel Academy and help out with what’s bugging him at the same time. Even though this sounds like a good idea, he thought, that would mean solving two problems at once. Hmm, then again, he does look a little sad… and a bit lonely…

After some quick internal debating, Yuya gave in and agreed to Zuzu’s idea. Besides, it never hurts to bring smiles into someone’s life. He turned around and walked back to the counter, asking the man if he would like to come with them. Unfortunately, he seemed a bit hesitant.

“I don’t know…” the young man admitted. “I have manage the shop.”

“If you have a deck, you can duel my friend over here during the boat ride,” Zuzu suggested.

“What?!” Yuya asked, alarmed. “But I don’t want any more of my Performapals vanishing during the duel!”

The man grew kindled at what Zuzu said. He replied that he does have a deck, but he doesn’t duel very often. He was kind of glad to talk to visitors who also enjoy playing Duel Monsters, but at the same time, he also caught what Yuya said about his Performapals disappearing. He asked if it was true, prompting both Pendulum Duelists to take out their decks and sure enough, the Performapals and Melodious cards were gradually vanishing. This was bad—no, this was seriously bad.

Yuya and Zuzu were dismayed at their cards disappearing. They said they have to go see Leo immediately, so the trio left Kame Game Shop for Duel Academy…before closing it up for a few hours. With the young man leading the way, they headed straight for the docks to find any available boats. Upon arrival, they spotted one that was still parked and boarded on it. Yuya removed the rope tied around the dock’s pole and the young man took the wheel; seeing the tomato-haired teen putting the rope aside, he started the engine and the three officially began their voyage to see Leo.

Zuzu thanked the young man for their help. After receiving a “You’re welcome,” she asked him what his name was and if there was anything bothering him back at the game shop.

“Yugi,” the young man answered. “My name is Yugi Muto. You’re Zarc Nightstone and Ray Akaba, correct?”

“Uh… No…” Yuya corrected. “I’m Yuya Sakaki and this is Zuzu Boyle.”

“You don’t have to use those names,” Yugi said. “I know who you really are.”

Well, this escalated rather quickly. How on earth does Yugi know about Zarc and Ray? The two assumed that he either must be another person that referred to them by their incarnations’ names or he used to live in the Original Dimension. Whatever’s the case, they asked him how he knows who they were.

“I was there when the initial attack happened,” Yugi explained, suddenly looking a bit sad. “I lost my grandpa and parents that day. I’m not sure why, but when the dimensions separated, all of my memories were left intact. Luckily not a lot of people talk to me, so no one suspected a thing.”

Yuya and Zuzu felt terrible about something like this happening to the Muto family, but Yuya was having a harder time. He knew how devastating Zarc’s attack was, but he is in the same boat with one of the survivors. The initiating mind merge wasn’t making the situation any better because he, Zuzu, and their counterparts’ minds were slowly fusing back respectively into the former champion who craved victory and killed Yugi’s relatives in the process and Leo’s daughter who put a stop to the destruction twice.

The tomato-haired teen covered his face with his hand, feeling guilty that he, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri were responsible for something so tragic when they used to be one. Just as he was about to get down on his knees, Zuzu wrapped her arms around her friend, reassuring him that they’ll make sure something like that doesn’t happen again. Plus, as an added bonus, at least they’re on the right track of helping their new companion. After hearing her words, Yuya nodded and stood back up, wiping away any tears that might have formed.

“It’s that’s why you’re like this?” Yuya asked.

“No, I was always naturally quiet,” Yugi answered. “I had a few friends in high school, but after graduation, we went our separate ways. But it’s alright. I don’t mind the loneliness.”

The two were surprised at what Yugi said. This is the first time they meet someone who is introverted and a loner. After spending his whole life in a lively city filled with Action Duels, Yuya just learned that not everyone is outgoing and some prefer to be more quiet individuals.

“I understand,” Yuya said. “I’m so used to outgoing people that I- GAH!” He suddenly clutched his forehead.

“Yuya!” Zuzu exclaimed. But then she also clutched her forehead in pain.

Yugi stopped driving the boat and turned off the engine to see the Pendulum duo in pain. He’s confused as to what is happening to them; they looked like they got sudden migraines. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“No!” Yuya shouted. “I can’t separate! Not yet!”

“I must stay together!” Zuzu cried out. “I have to!”

Separate? Stay together? Whatever’s going on with them, Yugi had to bring them to this Leo person immediately. Luckily, the boat was close enough to Duel Academy. He headed back to the driver’s seat and turned the engine back on, telling Yuya and Zuzu to hang on. He then stepped on the gas pedal, sending the boat containing the trio to the island’s school.

Once they reached land, he helped the two teens out of the boat, who were still in pain. Having both of their arms over him, he assisted them in escorting them inside, but he needed to find a way to get to the entrance first.

“Hang on,” Yugi said. “I’ll get you to Leo Akaba as soon as possible.”

He brought them to the nearest staircase he could find; climbing steep stairs was one thing, but climbing them up while carrying people on your back was another. Yugi went as fast as he could to head to the top of the stairs before finally making it about five minutes later. Trying to catch his breath, he aided the ailing Yuya and Zuzu in getting into Duel Academy. Upon entering, he was them faced with another dilemma: figuring out where Leo’s office is. For the next few minutes, he asked as many students he could find to give them directions. One of them was fortunate enough to have Yugi follow her to where the office was after seeing that it was an emergency. Upon arriving at the office doors and the tri-colored-haired young man thanking the student for her help, she knocked on the door.

The door opened, revealing Leo Akaba. He quickly noticed Yuya and Zuzu. “If you’re here for the separation procedure, it’s still-”

But Zuzu unexpectedly hugged Leo. “Dad!” she exclaimed. “It’s so good to see you again!”

Leo was surprised at Zuzu hugging him and calling her “dad” until he quickly discovered that Ray and Zarc were regaining control at a much faster rate than he thought. He had to let his son know about this and have him come over as fast as possible, let alone start this procedure much earlier than he hoped for. The female student asked if there’s anything she and Yugi can do to help; at this point, any amount of help is necessary. Leo instructed her to head to the laboratory and let him know when Declan arrives from the stationary Interdimensional Travel Device. She responded that she will and proceeded to obey his orders. As for Yugi, he helped with trying to get Yuya and Zuzu situated. He was still confused by what’s going on and asked Duel Academy’s professor about the situation.

“Yugi, I’m so sorry about what happened to your family,” Zarc said. “I had become blind to my true feelings and I gave in to what the public wanted. It’s all my fault this happened.”

“No, Zarc,” Yugi said. “It’s not. This was because of Seto Kaiba. When he formed a partnership with Leo Corporation to produce Solid Vision, he announced the technology by demonstrating it with his dueling skills. But because his dueling methods were overkill, his fans immediately followed suit. So if you want to blame anyone for this, blame Kaiba.”

“He’s right,” Leo agreed. “If I had known Mr. Kaiba was so ruthless, I wouldn’t have let him be my business partner. If only there was someone to set him straight beforehand.”

After Zarc’s apology, Leo explained to Yugi what was going on at the moment. He described everything from Ray, Zarc, and the Original Dimensional each being split into four, his partnership with Yusho leading him to recovering from amnesia after the success of Action Duels, the Aquaria Project and Revival Zero, and his failed plans’ aftermath. Now, he’s struggling with perfecting the separation procedure and the Yu-Salad and Bracelet Girls will be erased from existence if their minds merged back into Zarc and Ray accordingly.

“You can’t separate me!” Ray begged. “The world is at peace now! There’s no need for my reincarnations!”

“You can’t separate me either!” Zarc also begged. “I want to make amends for the misdeeds I have done!”

“I’m sorry, but this has to be done,” Leo said, mentally cringing upon hearing Ray’s plea. “Look through the memories of your halves. Do you not see what they have done?”

“But I missed you!” Ray begged on the brink of tears. “I want us to be a family again!”

The two incarnations’ stubbornness were quite evident for different reasons. Ray hasn’t seen her father in over a decade and her chance of starting over as a family are being dashed. She doesn’t want to lose him again. Zarc, on the other hand, still feels ashamed of himself for causing all the destruction—despite the main reason being Leo and Kaiba’s partnership—and will do whatever it takes to redeem himself. Try as they might, Leo already made up his mind and wanted to focus on having his daughter and the former champion be at peace.

They eventually ended up searching through their reincarnations’ memories. For Zarc, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Prior to becoming the Original Dimension’s champion, he used to be a Ray fanboy; even the way his initial dueling skills were screaming, “Look at me! Let me be your tag team partner!” At one point, he even developed a small crush on her. The more he scanned their memories, the more he realized his initial dream had came true. He noticed his abandoned feelings for Ray were passed down to Yuya, Yugo, and Yuto. The three each developed correspondingly different feelings for Zuzu, Rin, and Lulu, but Yuto and Lulu’s relationship was the strongest; he even got to see their first kiss. Seeing the lives of the Yu-Salad helped bring him at peace.

Zarc lightly touched his lips. “I did it…” he said. He soon smiled wide. “YES! I got to kiss the girl of my dreams!”

As Ray scanned through the Bracelet Girls’ memories, she too stumbled upon a pattern. If there was one thing Zuzu, Celina, and Rin had in common, it is they are all headstrong but short-tempered, as seen when Zuzu easily gets annoyed, Rin acts motherly, and Celina’s desires to prove her strength. They are all traced back to how Ray used to act, especially during Zarc’s attack. She was willing to put a stop to his madness, but since she believed in her own strength and no one else’s, she most likely had an arrogant ego. Seeing the similarities between her and three of her reincarnations brought her at peace as well.

Ray let out a soft chuckle. “How about that?” she asked. “They got my best features.”

“So do you see it?” Leo asked. “If you return, you’re unintentionally killing off eight innocent people.”

Zarc looked a bit sad. “Alright,” he decided. “Guess the great Zarc Nightstone is ready for his finale.”

“I’ll go through the procedure,” Ray said. “But can you stay with me before I’m absorbed into the machine? I want my last conscious moments to be with you.”

“Certainly,” Leo answered, giving his daughter one last hug.

After Zarc and Ray made their decisions, Yugi stepped in. Interestingly, he was sympathizing with the two. He discussed with Ray about how hard it is to lose family members, using his own past as a reference. Even though she’s the one that will be disappearing soon, he knows how much Leo will miss her and vice versa, but he said the best thing she can do is to cherish what his father has done when she was alive. Speaking of which, he conversed with Zarc about forgiveness. He knows that the former champion wanted to please the audience and make them smile, but their enjoyment of such violent duels led him down a horrific path. He even reminds that no matter what action someone does, there will always be someone else who will forgive them. The two were left speechless at what Yugi said; although their meeting was going to be brief, this was their first—and only—time they encounter someone who relates and understands how they were feeling. The two hugged him as a way to say thank you. He returned the hugs, with a tear forming in one of his eyes.

Simultaneously, Leo contacted Declan to update him about what was happening with Yuya and Zuzu. The gray-haired teen was concerned about the alarmingly rapid mind merge and the counterparts’ fates, but he was informed that someone name Yugi Muto helped bring them to his father. Although he was glad to hear that Zarc and Ray agreed to do the separation procedure, it doesn’t change the fact that the Yu-Salad and Bracelet Girls’ lives are at risk since it was being done prematurely. He said he will be at Duel Academy as fast as he can to try and help out if anything goes wrong. Leo thanked his son and reminded him that one of his students will tell him when you arrived. Declan nodded his head before they ended their conversation. The Duel Academy Professor let out an exhale; he is really hoping the results of the separation will be worth it.

“So how does this work?” Zarc asked.

“You must each give me a sample of your counterparts’ blood,” Leo explained. “This will be done through simple pinpricks. Once I receive the eight separate blood samples, I will load them into the machine, allowing you to enter the tubes and let the machine do its work.”

“Seems easy enough,” Zarc figured.

“Except this was scheduled for a few years later,” Leo continued. “If there is a slight problem, who knows what might occur. There is a high possibility that your reincarnations could receive amnesia or permanent brain damage.”

“Brain damage?” Ray repeated, alarmed. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“But if I was to wait a few years for testing, it would have already been too late,” Leo informed. “That is why doing the procedure too early is very risky.”

Zarc and Ray looked at each other with troubled looks on their faces. They never expressed concerned, but knowing that their only chance of separating again is in jeopardy, they wondered if it was going to be worth it. They also don’t want to end up accidentally killing their reincarnations. It was basically a life-or-death situation at this point; they ultimately decided to continue with the procedure no matter what consequences they may face. Even in the riskiest situations, they are still as strong-willed, determined, and prideful as ever, much like how they were back then.


	6. Blood Separation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the mind merge still underway, Zarc and Ray agree to separate into their counterparts for good. However, the procedure ends up leaving behind some surprising results...

Ray winced as she pricked Celina’s finger, allowing Leo to receive the final blood sample. “Hopefully this should do,” she said as she reverted back to Zuzu.

Yugi cleaned up the last and newly made prick mark from her finger. He used the back of his hand to wipe off any sweat that may have formed on his forehead. With that finished, all he has to do now is watch the procedure unfold and help out if anything goes wrong.

Having all the blood samples he needed, one from each dimensional counterpart, Leo took them to the ARC-V machine. He began loading each sample so that ARC-V can analyze them and ready itself for the procedure. After inserting all eight samples, he spotted the tri-colored-haired young man looking at the machine. He seemed to be a little worried about this as well. He knew this may be the only time he will meet Zarc and Ray (…well, technically their revived forms), but he’s afraid of them inadvertently staying.

“You seem rather nervous,” Leo remarked.

“Sorry,” Yugi said. “I was wondering why I had all my memories left intact.”

Leo seemed intrigued by that statement. “Really…” he said. “But I don’t recall seeing you.”

“A lot of strange things keep happening to me,” Yugi explained. “Mostly it’s foreign whispers I hear in my dreams, but it’s nothing important.”

“Aside from your unusual hair, you don’t look any different from anyone else,” Leo remarked. He had a sudden thought. “Tell me, Mr. Muto. What was your life like before the dimensional split?”

“I was an ordinary student at Domino High,” Yugi answered. “I had my group of friends, but nothing special happened. Years went by and we ultimately graduated and went our separate ways.”

“Is that why you seem so quiet?” Leo asked.

“No, I was always like this,” Yugi replied. “I did feel lonelier after I lost my family, but I don’t mind. I just wish more people would stop by the family game shop.”

The last few sentences intrigued Leo. He knew what it was like to have no family. Although he had Henrietta and Declan, him recovering from amnesia during years ago made him realize he was lonely without Ray around. It was difficult, but he eventually accepted that certain things in life are meant to be that way, even death. The separation highlighted not only his act of redemption towards all four dimensions, but his acceptance of death and sacrifice being normal in life.

He also determined what Yugi said about loneliness. He doesn’t mind it, but he still wishes for some company now and then, especially at the game shop. And for that matter, he was introverted, but he managed to create a small group of friends. Does he miss them on occasion? Whatever the reason is, Yugi surely needed some company. Maybe even a new friend?

“I understand,” Leo said. “Perhaps I could promote your shop so you would get more customers.”

"You would?” Yugi asked, a small spark momentarily appearing in his eyes.

“Certainly,” Leo replied. “But for now, we should focus on the separation.” He walked over to Zarc and Ray. “I need you to step into those tubes and remain there until the separation is complete.”

“Of course,” Zarc said.

“You’ll stay near me, right?” Ray asked as she approached a tube.

“Certainly,” Leo answered.

Ray and Zarc entered the tubes as instructed. Leo remained standing next to her like he promised while she was standing inside her tube and preparing herself to get absorbed. As everyone waited for ARC-V to reach 100%, he and his daughter decided to talk about their memories back in the Original Dimension.

So while Ray was recalling what one of her intense duels was like during a tournament, Zarc couldn’t help but notice that his hand was starting to fade. He remained silent, not wanting to interrupt the last time Leo and Ray were able to speak to each other. He simply watched the two, happy that at least his halves were able to redeem him.

“Sir, we have reached 100%,” one of the employees informed a few hours later.

Knowing it was time, Leo placed his hand on Ray’s tube. “Goodbye, dearest daughter,” he said. “I love you.”

Ray smiled softly and placed her hand on the tube as well, right near Leo’s hand. “Goodbye dad,” she said, unable to stop tears coming from her eyes. “I love you too.”

Leo gave the employees the okay while still looking at Ray’s face for the final time. With a push of a button, she and Zarc vanished and were instantly absorbed into ARC-V. There was no turning back right now…

Shortly thereafter, everything seemed to be going smoothly. The readings were stable and the machine was functioning properly…until a distorted screech was heard. Yugi asked if it was coming from Zarc or Ray, with Leo responding that it most likely came from Ray. He looked at the employees working as hard as they can to fix the first glitch.

“It appears to be the same problem as last time,” the employee reported. “There is foreign metal in the machine.”

Leo was baffled as to why there would be foreign metal in the machine. Little does he know is those were Lulu’s spinal plates that she got after an Ancient Gear Hunting Hound scarred her back during the Invasion. He told them to use the same solution to fix it; surely, that would be considered an easy fix, but considering how premature this separation is, he was more cautious than cocky. He was more concerned about the machine making the four dragons and the Natural Energy Cards like it did the first time around.

That was when Declan showed up. “Father, what is going on?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” Leo answered. “But it seems the machine’s malfunctions are because of foreign metal. I’m not sure where that’s from.”

Suddenly, the machine began to overload. The employees frantically searched for a way for fix the glitch before anything catastrophic happens. The female student caught up with Declan; just as she was about to ask Leo if that will be all for her assistance, she noticed the overloading machine, causing her to freeze with fear. Yugi ran up to her, placing his hands on her shoulders to try and keep her relaxed, but at this point, everyone was in a state of panic.

“Father, why did you do this?!” Declan asked. “You know the separation procedure wasn’t ready!”

“I didn’t have a choice!” Leo explained. “The mind merge was happening earlier than planned! That was why Zarc and Ray easily took over!”

Meanwhile, Yugi couldn’t help but notice that this female student looked familiar. “Wh-Who are you?” he asked.

The girl looked up at him. “Téa Gardner,” she replied.

Yugi looked alarmed. “Téa?” he asked, noticing that the last time he saw her, her hair wasn’t that long. “It’s me, Yugi!”

Téa became surprised, which was then turned to happiness. She hugged Yugi, knowing she was glad to see him again. He asked her what she was doing at Duel Academy, with her describing about how dance school was a flop for her and she attended here shortly after that. He replied that he continued working at the game shop after graduation, admitting that it often gets lonesome. Just as they were about to hug each other again, Leo had to remind them that they have a serious matter on their hands. The two apologized and continued comforting each other, hoping that Zarc and Ray’s reincarnations will make it out okay.

“Sir, a message has appeared on the monitor,” an employee informed.

“What does it say?” Leo asked.

The employee read the message. “‘I’m sorry for the damage I caused. Let me make it up to you. -Zarc Nightstone’.”

Just then, another glitch occurred, but it was coming from Zarc. His tube began to light up, worrying everyone. What on earth is going on this time? Is it going to interfere with the separation? Before they knew it, the light got brighter and brighter; its luminescence engulfed everyone in the room, followed by shockwaves. The Duel Academy students braced for cover just as felt the first few waves. The light grew in brightness until all of Duel Academy was surrounded by it. It then expanded to all of Domino City and eventually the entire Fusion Dimension…

Leo opened his eyes, regaining consciousness and sitting up from the ground. Declan, Téa, Yugi, and the employees did the same thing when they began to get an understanding of their surroundings. It seemed oddly familiar to them… well, everyone except Declan, of course, but they were left figuring out where are they and what happened.

“The Center Duel Field?” Declan asked. “What are we doing back in the Pendulum Dimension?”

People from all four dimensions started to fill the outdoors. They were complaining about something, but because of the multiple overlapping voices, it was hard to make out what they’re saying. Sure enough, they were all on the same topic: all four dimensions have unexpectedly merged together. This shocked everyone involved with the separation procedure.

“I demand to know what’s going on!” Kameron said. “My wife and I were working on business arrangements when suddenly we saw Duelists driving by the company building on weird motorcycles!”

“You better have a good explanation!” Skip told Leo.

Leo explained that Yuya and Zuzu went to the Fusion Dimension to see him because the mind merge was happening earlier than planned. They got some assistance from Yugi and Téa along the way so Zarc and Ray can separate. There were a couple glitches due to how premature it was, one from foreign metal in Ray’s tube and the other from Zarc’s that caused the dimensions to merge. He also hypothesized that Yuya and Zuzu didn’t tell anyone about this because of how sudden it was and that they didn’t want to worry anyone.

Shay looked alarmed by this information. “Is something wrong?” Leo asked.

“The foreign metal must have been the stainless steel spinal implants Lulu has!” Shay explained.

Shay’s realization made Leo wide-eyed; that would explain why a loud screech came from Ray’s tube. He asked Lulu’s older brother when she got the spinal implants, with the latter answering that she got them during the Invasion after a Hunting Hound gave her scars on her back. Leo cringed upon hearing it; the Aquaria Project was supposed to have Duel Academy card Heartland, but since a selected few were rather sadistic (like a certain Chthonian user), they added fuel to the fire. As a result, it led to Lulu’s injury and Lono’s fatal sacrifice. This helped prove that he shouldn’t have mingled with the four dimensions just to bring Ray back.

“I apologize for what happened,” Leo said. “This was why I wanted to restore the eight counterparts. It was my way of apologizing to everyone in the four dimensions. But it seems that plan failed as well.”

All of a sudden, two giant lights appeared in the arena, which soon formed two individual glowing orbs, one dark violet and one light yellow. This caught everyone’s attention and they gathered to where the orbs were. Those that witnessed Zuzu’s revival recognized the light yellow one as Ray’s, so does that mean the dark violet one was Zarc’s? Leo could sense their lingering spirits, but they were faint. Assuming that their spirits could most likely get stronger, he let out his frustration because he was afraid that the Yu-Salad and Bracelet Girls were dead. Their friends and families grew upset at the sheer thought of it and not wanting to accept this as true.

Surprisingly, Zarc and Ray’s spirits didn’t get stronger. They split into eight different colored orbs—red, blue, aqua green, and purple from Zarc’s and pink, indigo, light green, and yellow from Ray’s. They all slowly descended on the ground and dispersed, revealing all eight counterparts as they lied unconscious with some slightly different and new appearances. The Bracelet Girls ended up with markings of the Natural Energy Cards somewhere on their bodies: En Flowers on Zuzu's right cheek, En Birds near Lulu’s heart, En Winds on Rin's left hand, and En Moons on Celina’s forehead. As the eight woke up, it was revealed that the Yu-Salad’s eye color had changed to match their respective dragon.

Yuya let out a groan as he stood back up. “What’s going on?” he asked.

Everyone soon became overjoyed and ran to embrace the newly revived counterparts, with eyes filled with tears of joy. They all notice and complimented the Yu-Salad and Bracelet Girls’ added changes. It took them a couple seconds for them to realize the differences on them. Shock and amazement filled them… Well, most of them. Yuri was left out, having no one to celebrate the reunion with. After causing so much mayhem throughout the Interdimensional War, it was understandable why he would be abandoned from the festivities.

Leo noticed the cabbage-haired boy’s saddened expression and he approached him. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“Not quite,” Yuri answered. “Just look at them. Yuya, Zuzu, and Lulu have their families, Yuto has the Obsidians and his XYZ Dimension friends, Yugo and Rin have those two Turbo Duelists over there, and even Miss Celina has the Lancers.” He let out a sigh. “I suppose no one really cares about me.”

That was when Dennis and Sora approached Yuri. “Aw, don’t feel so glum!” Sora cheerfully said. “You have us!”

“Precisely,” Dennis agreed. “Obelisk Force might have disbanded, but we’re still a team.”

Yuri was surprised by this. “Really?” he asked. “Even though my judgement was clouded by the darkness within Zarc’s heart?”

“Us Obelisk buddies gotta stick together!” Sora replied, playfully punching Yuri in the arm.

Yuri couldn’t help but chuckle a little. In all the years he spent at Duel Academy, he always had friends with him the whole time and never noticed until now. He began remembering the time when he and Dennis taught Sora how to duel, leading him to becoming the best in his class, and all the times they closely bonded together. Just thinking about it made him genuinely smile.

“Thank you, true friends,” Yuri said. “Perhaps you can teach me about this 'Dueltaining’ you learned.”

“Of course, Yuri,” Dennis agreed. “Anything for a friend.”

Now with Yuri included in the mix, everyone can truly celebrate the reunion of the Yu-Salad and the Bracelet Girls. Their brand new lives have only just begun…


	7. Celina in Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some time has passed since Leo's separation procedure proved to be a success. And as everyone readjusts to the four dimensions now merged and creating a single, mashed-up city, Yuri and Celina realize they're not a good fit for each other. With that in mind, they each decide to spend some time apart, resulting in some more positive outcomes.

“You did that on purpose!”

“So what if I did?! Clearly you slipped up, so I technically won!”

“Oh, look who’s talking! Your dragon doesn’t even fit in with your overgrown weeds!”

“How dare you call my graceful Predaplants weeds!”

Yuri and Celina sounded like they were arguing about a duel they recently had. Ever since Zuzu’s revival, the two have developed this heated rivalry with each other. You would think that Zarc and Ray splitting and the dimensions merging once again would bring new changes to everyone; as it turned out, there were some things that remained the same, and the Fusion duo’s rivalry was one of them.

In the midst of yet another argument, Yuri took out Violet Flash from his deck. Celina saw the Spell card and, becoming angrier than she was, yelled at him not to teleport while she “talking” to him. In response, the cabbage-haired Fusion user simply gave her a deadpan expression as he activated his Spell card and teleported away. A frustrated and annoyed sigh escaped her mouth.

“Why do I even bother?” Celina muttered to herself, frustrated at Yuri once more.

Meanwhile, Yugo and Rin have recently become roommates with Crow and Shinji and all are living in an apartment/garage next to a watch shop called Poppo Time. Right now, they were working on a new Duel Runner, with Yugo on the driver’s seat and the others checking the laptop to see how well the new engine was running.

“You might want to go easy, Yugo,” Crow advised.

“No way!” Yugo happily exclaimed, accelerating even more. “I wanna push this baby to its limits!”

“Crow’s right,” Shinji said, checking the computer. “There’s a slight possibility it might-”

BOOM!

The entire apartment/garage interior and everyone in it were covered in black smoke from the engine overloading. Rin yelled at Yugo for doing something as reckless as that. He was very lucky that it didn’t suffer too much damage though; otherwise, they may have ended up buying a new one. For now, they’ll just check it and fix any impairments it suffered.

Just then, a bright light unexpectedly appeared, almost blinding everyone in it. The light vanished to reveal Yuri, who had apparently teleported in here in the motorcycle engine’s aftermath.

Yugo wasn’t happy to see Yuri again. “Oh great,” the Synchro Duelist said. “Did you have another fight with Celina?”

“You say that as if it’s a bad thing,” Yuri remarked. “I simply enjoy getting Miss Celina irritated.”

Aside from that, Yuri mentioned about how he technically won a duel against Celina and how she had the nerve to call his Predaplants weeds. Even though he usually gets bored with long arguments, teleporting away is his favorite because it irritates her even more. He even managed to sneakily take her ribbon out of her hair earlier in the week they were separated. At this point, Yugo was starting to get a little fed up with his antics involving Celina.

“For someone who hates Celina, you sure like talking about her a lot,” Yugo remarked.

“Almost like you have a crush on her,” Shinji added.

“What?!” Yuri asked. “I do not have a crush on Miss Celina!”

“Kinda sounds like you do,” Crow pointed out.

Yuri kept denying that he harbors any feelings for Celina and they are just rivals. Rin pointed out how some people who have crushes on someone tend to act harsh around them; in other words, she was telling him that he may be a tsundere. He was backed into a corner on this discussion thanks to her indication. She wasn’t wrong about what tsunderes do yet he knows he wasn’t in love with Celina. His opinion was final and nothing else was going to change that.

“Are you sure?” Rin asked.

“Of course I am certain!” Yuri insisted.

Rin let out a sigh. “If you insist,” she said. “But try recalling what she looked like when you took her hair ribbon.”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Yuri said. “She…” He was unaware of a small blush appearing on his face. “She…”

Yugo, Rin, Crow, and Shinji easily noticed Yuri’s blush on his face. She _really_ got him on that one. The Synchro Duelist with Clear Wing’s eye color was having some difficulty suppressing his laughter.

“Stop laughing, you moron!” Yuri exclaimed. “It’s not my fault Miss Celina looks too pretty with her hair down!”

Yuri instantly covered his mouth with his hands, realizing what he just said. Yugo ended up falling on the floor laughing his butt off while the rest of the Synchro crew had “called it” faces, especially Rin. She even threw out a fist bump to Crow with her left hand. As of now, the Fusion user was at his wit’s end and took out his Violet Flash card again to teleport out of the apartment/garage.

“Oh man, that was too funny!” Yugo exclaimed.

Rin smirked in satisfaction. “‘Bout time he got some payback for kidnapping me.”

Before anyone knew it, the same bright light flashed in front of their eyes as an embarrassed and mad Yuri teleported out of the apartment/garage, leaving the Synchro crew the only ones left. Seeing that they were still covered with some black smoke from the engine mishap, they all decided to wash up before resuming with working on the Duel Runner.

Back with Celina, she was still annoyed about the fight she had with Yuri. She figured she would talk to Lulu to help try and calm down. She took out her Duel Disk and opened up the webcam app to call her, only to find out the XYZ user was at the spa. She was getting a facial, based on the mask on her face with cucumber slices on her closed eyelids, and some robots were giving her a manicure. She even had curlers in her hair and was wearing a robe.

“Uh… Lulu?” Celina asked. “What are you doing?”

“The Kastles invited my family to a grand party tonight,” Lulu explained. “The richest people from Heartland are attending, so I have to look my best.”

“So how are you holding your Duel Disk?” Celina asked.

“Lillybot is holding it for me,” Lulu answered. “I know she’s one of the older models, but she’s still pretty useful.”

“Lillybot?” Celina repeated.

Lulu’s Duel Disk turned around to have the webcam briefly aim at Lillybot’s face. Celina waved “Hello” at her as Lulu explained that this bot used to be her nursemaid at a young age. The Fusion girl was interested by this information until something struck her mind. Was her XYZ counterpart even at the spa? She immediately asked while the thought was still fresh in her head.

“Where are you?” Celina asked.

“The spa room in the family household,” Lulu answered.

This initially shocked Celina, but she shook it off since she should have known Lulu lives with a wealthy family. Celina told her that she wanted to talk to her about Yuri and their most recent argument. She mentioned about the bickering on who made the bigger blunder during a round of Duel Monsters and how he teleported away with his emotionless expression yet again. She admitted that she could honestly care less about where he went off to.

“Normally I would say those are the signs of a crush, but this is Yuri we’re talking about,” Lulu said. “He’s the worst.”

“I know,” Celina agreed with a groan. “That jerk thinks he knows everything!”

“Not to mention he’s as ugly as his personality,” Lulu added. “Have you seen his tacky choice of fashion?”

Celina nodded in response to her question. She also noted about the Duel Academy students combined having a better fashion sense than him and Lulu couldn’t agree more. If she was going to be honest, this rivalry seemed to be more like an enemyship because most rivals at least know when to tolerate each other. She even confessed that she would rather hang out with Sylvio because he isn’t as sociopathic as Yuri despite having the same nobility.

“Oh, really?” Lulu asked, intrigued. “Do tell.”

“Sylvio is a pretty decent guy,” Celina admitted. “His dueling style is fun to watch and I wouldn’t mind facing off against him in a sparring session.”

Lulu was pretty excited to hear that. “Sounds like you have a crush on him.”

Celina blushed upon thinking about that possibility. “I’m not sure,” she replied. “We never really got to spend a lot of time hanging out, but I wouldn’t mind getting to know him more.”

Lulu smiled wide. “Lillybot, contact Sylvio and tell him to visit the southeast park,” she instructed.

“YES MISTRESS LULU,” Lillybot replied.

Southeast park? That’s where Celina was currently at. She asked Lulu what she was doing and the dark-purple-haired girl responded that she’s helping her Fusion counterpart get a chance to connect with him. In other words, a date is being set up for the two. This surprised the indigo-haired girl; she never thought about going on a date with Sylvio. After Lillybot made the contact, she said he’ll be heading to the southeast park in about 15 minutes. Still smiling, Lulu thanked the robot and reminded Celina to get herself ready—nothing too fancy, just brushing her hair and a few touch-ups. She wished her good luck before the two girls ended the webcam conversation. Here’s to taking a breather from Yuri, Celina thought.

Meanwhile, Yuri had teleported in front of a random restaurant, still humiliated and angry about what happened back at the apartment/garage. It wasn’t his fault he likes Celina having her hair down. Besides, people can like someone without having romantic feelings for them, right? …Right? A few minutes later, he encountered Sora walking by with a cherry lollipop in his mouth.

“Hiya Yuri,” Sora said. “What’s up?”

“Do you mind?!” Yuri snapped. “I’m not in the mood to talk!”

“Yeah right,” Sora said. “You’re clearly upset about something.”

“Those Synchro Duelists humiliated me!” Yuri ranted. “How dare they accuse me of having romantic feelings for Miss Celina!”

“Do you?” Sora asked.

“Of course I don’t!” Yuri exclaimed. “But it’s not my fault she has beautiful hair!”

This was very weird. Everyone knows Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo harbored feelings for Zuzu, Lulu, and Rin. Why on earth would a group of Synchro Duelists believe Yuri had a crush on Celina? It’s not like they assumed he does have one because you know everyone says about “assume"… Never mind about that; what really matters is Sora may have an idea on how to cheer his Fusion friend up.

Sora proceeded to take out his Duel Disk and started typing. "What are you doing?” Yuri asked.

“Sending Dennis a text to meet me at Card Craze,” Sora answered, referring to a local card store that originated in Domino City. “You’re welcome to come.”

“No thank you,” Yuri said.

“Are you sure?” Sora asked. “There’s a new booster set featuring Fusion cards.”

This appealed Yuri a little. As a Fusion user, it never hurts to find the right monsters that correspond with their Fusion monster, whether it is special summoned with Polymerization, Super Polymerization, or any other Spell cards effects like Fusion Gate. He also had occasional thoughts about finding other cards to come up with new strategies that work with his Predaplants, maybe even trying to get new Predaplants to include in his deck.

“Fusion cards?” Yuri asked.

“Yeah,” Sora innocently answered. “I’m hoping to pick up some Fluffal or Frightfur monsters, but there’s a possibility that the set could include some new Predaplants.”

What do you know? Great minds do think alike. Yuri depicted which Predaplants were available at Card Craze, and after checking his deck, he may have figured out which ones he hasn’t gotten yet.

“Very well,” Yuri said. “I accept your offer.”

“That’s the spirit!” Sora cheered. “Hopefully there are still some booster packs left for sale.”

Sora and Yuri then headed down the street to head to the card shop and meet Dennis there. It never hurts to spend some male quality time, so maybe that’s what Yuri may need: hanging out with his Obelisk friends for a few hours.

Back at the southeast park, Celina had finished getting ready for her date with Sylvio. With a little over five minutes left, she walked towards the park entrance to wait for him. As she stood there, she tried to relax about the argument from earlier today. Yuri was always thinking highly of his cards, and not every blunder was done on accident; even if she did slip up, he was the one who set her up like that on purpose. It was executed rather well, but it still doesn’t change the fact that everything he does annoys her. Seeing it was for his own amusement, it was working. He was constantly winning at these emotional games, trying to find the right buttons to push. She sighed and figured spending some time with Sylvio can relieve any stress she has.

Before long, she spotted a figure walking down the sidewalk. Speak of the devil; it was Sylvio. Based on the time it was, it was safe to say he arrived on time. “Celina,” the Dueltainer said. “What a surprise to see you.”

Celina smiled a bit, happy to see a friend again. “I know,” she said. “We haven’t spoke to each other for a while.”

“And yet so much has happened to us,” Sylvio said. “How are things going for you?”

“Pretty alright,” Celina answered. “I’m glad to have my body back. While I didn’t mind having someone to talk to, I didn’t like being forced to spend time with Yuri.”

“I can’t blame you,” Sylvio said. “He did unintentionally help destroy the dimensions.”

“I really needed a break from him,” Celina said. “He’s been on my nerves for a while. Every time he duels, he deliberately acts annoying!” She let out a sigh. “Sometimes I wonder if he does that on purpose.”

“Well I know what might cheer you up,” Sylvio said. He proceeded to activate his Duel Disk.

“You want to duel me?” Celina asked.

“Certainly,” Sylvio replied. “My dueling style is all about entertaining the crowd. And who knows? Maybe I’ll entertain you as well.”

Celina took out and activated her Duel Disk as well. With fierce determination in her eyes and a smirking mouth, she was ready to duel against Sylvio. It was nice to finally take a breather from Yuri and bond with not only a member of the Lancers but a friend as well. With the shout of “Let’s duel!” from the two, the duel had begun.

After an unseen coin toss, Sylvio was given the honor of deciding who went first. “Ladies first,” he simply said.

“Very well,” Celina said. She checked her starting hand. “I’ll start things off by setting the Pendulum Scale with Lunalight Wolf and Lunalight Tiger!”

With Celina’s Scale 1 Lunalight Wolf and Scale 5 Lunalight Tiger set, she can now summon any monsters between Levels 2 and 4, which she did by Pendulum Summoning the Lunalights Black Sheep, Purple Butterfly, and White Rabbit.

“I see,” Sylvio said. “You’re mixing things up.”

“Indeed I am,” Celina said. She set a card face down. “But don’t worry. You’ll see Cat Dancer later on.”

Elsewhere, Yuri and Sora were both nearby Card Craze. The candy-loving teen directed his cabbage-haired friend to follow him around the corner; the card shop was only a few buildings away from the street corner. He changed his directions to turn right at said street corner and the two ended up reaching their destination. To their surprise, Dennis also showed up by going a different way. It only delayed him by a few seconds, but it didn’t matter.

“Yuri?” Dennis asked. “You came too?”

“I needed a break from Miss Celina and Sora bribed me with the possibility of getting new Predaplants,” Yuri explained.

“So Sora told you about the new booster set,” Dennis concluded.

“Yep!” Sora cheerfully said. “You interested in it too?”

“Not today,” Dennis replied. “I’m actually thinking about switching decks. The Performage cards aren’t really my thing.”

“True,” Yuri agreed. “XYZ is not a good fit for you.”

Fortunately, the Card Craze employees are skillful at choosing an archetype based on a Duelist’s personality, ideals, and which special summoning technique they’re experts at. This greatly comes in handy when the customer wants to exchange their old deck in favor of a new one. The Fusion trio walked through the shop’s double doors to see how busy it is. So many people were heavily invested in getting the new booster set.

“Wow!” Sora exclaimed. “There’s still a lot of booster packs on sale!”

“I’m not sure if we could afford a lot,” Yuri said.

“Relax,” Sora said, taking out his Duel Academy student points card. “Cards are on me. Take as much as you want.”

Dennis brought his Performage deck to Customer Service for exchanging. Not long after that, one of the employees scrolled through a list of archetypes on the computer, examining each one to conclude which one is a best fit for him. They eventually settled on Shaddolls, an archetype primarily consisting of DARK monsters—having searching and field advantaging Flip effects and advantage regaining second effects after being sent to the Graveyard—that center around the special summon restricting/punishing El Shaddoll monsters.

As for Yuri, he was having a hard time figuring out where the Predaplants would be, especially since how crowded the place is. Another employee assisted him in maneuvering through the crowd and brought him over to one of the booster sets. He asked the cabbage-haired teen to show him what kind of cards he does have based on the archetype. After some thorough searching, he gave him a booster pack that contained the Predaplants he doesn’t have. Yuri looked to see Sora getting some booster packs as well. The only difference is he was having an easier time handling the crowd.

Several minutes later, after the cards were paid for, the trio were walking down the street, checking out what they have purchased.

“Frightfur Wolf…” Sora read. He checked the card’s stats. “Not bad. This should give the Obsidians a run for their money.”

“Well I’m happy with my new deck,” Dennis said. “These Shaddoll monsters are a better fit for a Fusion Duelist such as myself.”

“What did you get Yuri?” Sora asked.

Yuri opened his booster pack, checking the cards he got. “Let’s see…” he said. “Predaplanet, Mark of the Rose, Miracle Fertilizer, Battle Fusion…”

As Yuri was skimming through, he stopped at a card that he couldn’t take his eyes off. It was a Fusion monster called Predaplant Chimerafflesia; not only were its stats very useful, the card’s illustration was what really piqued his interests. He became extremely happy that he pulled out a “beautiful” creature from the booster pack. No doubt Chimerafflesia would make a nice addition to his deck.

“Whoa!” Sora exclaimed, peaking up to see the card. “That’s a secret rare! Nice pull!”

“But look at the artwork!” Yuri praised. “I have never seen such a finer specimen! A fine addition to my lovely Predaplants!”

“Why do you like Predaplants?” Dennis asked. “We have been friends for years, yet you never explained why you like those particular cards.”

“Because no one else wanted to duel with them,” Yuri explained. “Whenever the other students bought booster packs, any Predaplants they received were thrown into garbage cans. But I was able to see the beauty in them, so I retrieved every Predaplant that was discarded and constructed a deck with them. It just happened to be coincidental that Starving Venom works so well with them.”

But deep down, he knew the true reason why. As a kid, no one at Duel Academy wanted to duel him because of how powerful he was. They feared him so much that he was left alone, from stepping aside to not approaching him, but he didn’t mind. He enjoyed defeating his opponents, but his skills and talents resulted in him not having any friends before meeting Leo, Sora, and Dennis. To Yuri, his Predaplants were his first friends because they were regarded as outcasts by society and he saw the beauty and strength the cards and the cabbage-haired Fusion user respectively had in each other, which was why their chemistry proved essential during the Interdimensional War.

After a few seconds of silence, Yuri cleared his throat. “So, shall we see if Leo can let us test our new cards?” he suggested, wiping away any possible tears on his face. “This Mark of the Rose Spell card seems fitting for my dueling style.”

“Certainly, Yuri,” Dennis agreed.

“Alright!” Sora cheered. “To Duel Academy!”

While Yuri, Dennis, and Sora went off to visit Duel Academy, Sylvio and Celina’s duel was about to reach its end. “Not bad, Sylvio,” Celina remarked. “But let’s see how you’ll do once I beef up Lunalight Panther Dance with Crimson Fox and Kaleido Chick!”

Celina activated Polymerization from her hand, allowing her to fuse Lunalight Panther Dancer with Crimson Fox and Kaleido Chick to Fusion Summon Lunalight Leo Dancer. Suddenly, her En Moons marking started glowing on her forehead, in which Sylvio noticed.

“Again…?” Sylvio mused to himself.

“What?” Celina asked.

“Nothing!” Sylvio lied. “Carry on!”

“Alright,” Celina said. “By equipping the Spell card Mystical Moon to Leo Dancer, her attack points increase by 300, allowing me to destroy your Superstar and ending this duel!”

With an increased ATK of 3800, Leo Dancer attacked and destroyed Abyss Actor - Superstar, bringing Sylvio’s LP to 0. At the same time, Celina’s marking stopped glowing once the duel concluded.

“What a wonderful duel, Celina,” Sylvio said, approaching the Fusion Duelist. “But I couldn’t help but notice your forehead glowing whenever you fused your monsters.”

“My forehead…?” Celina asked.

“Yes,” Sylvio said. He proceeded to move Celina’s bangs aside, revealing her marking. “What’s this?”

“Oh, that?” Celina asked, referring to her marking. “I got it after Ray was separated the second time. Leo said it’s based on the symbol of En Moons, the Natural Energy Card that 'created’ me.”

“How interesting,” Sylvio remarked, his hand slowly moving from Celina’s forehead to her cheek. “And it seems to glow whenever you Fusion Summon.”

Sylvio was right; since En Moons “created” Ray’s Fusion reincarnation, it would make sense for her marking to glow when she Fusion Summons a monster. Seeing how the Natural Energy Card ends with “Moons”, it also means the glow only happens when she uses the Lunalights archetype. Does that also apply with Zuzu, Lulu, and Rin when they perform their respective special summons with their archetypes?

Celina was going to have to answer these questions for later because she couldn’t help but blush as Sylvio caressed her cheek. There was something about him that she couldn’t stop thinking about; he had a similar nobility-like personality as Yuri, but he generally acted more gentlemanly and charming based on his looks and mannerisms. She became convinced that she may have started developing a crush on him.

“Sylvio…” Celina said, still blushing. “Would you like to eat lunch with me?”

“Hmm?” Sylvio questioned.

“I want to discuss dueling styles with you,” Celina explained. “Maybe you could be a better rival than Yuri.”

“Certainly,” Sylvio answered. “I do hate seeing such amazing dueling talents from a beautiful girl go to waste.” As he said that last line, he carefully untied Celina’s hair ribbon and placed it in her hands.

A realization popped up in her head almost as fast as—if not, faster than—when she developed her first crush. She may have found a good match in Sylvio. Yuri was never this kind to her and their constant bickering was a sign that they would most likely try to strangle each other. As for Sylvio, he seemed nicer and was interested in cherishing their dueling rivalry. With this in her mind, the two left the southeast park to look for a restaurant to have lunch.

Meanwhile, the Obelisk trio were at Duel Academy testing out their new cards. Leo had given them permission to do so after hearing about the Card Craze booster set sale that was going on. At the moment, they were currently dueling out in the schoolyard in a Battle Royale style.

“Go Frightfur Wolf!” Sora exclaimed. “Tackle that flower!”

“I activate Mark of the Rose!” Yuri replied. “By Banishing Predaplant Flytrap from my Graveyard, I shall take control of Frightfur Wolf, protecting my darling Chimerafflesia from harm!”

“And I chain that with the Trap card Shaddoll Core to protect my life points and allow me to Fusion Summon a new monster during my next turn!” Dennis added.

The three were all having fun dueling each other. Even back then when they were still enrolled in Duel Academy, they had Battle Royales with each other and reveled in the entertainment they brought to one another. Now here they are, in the newly-revived Original Dimension, having an enjoyable duel with each other at the school they all attended. It was just like the old days.

“I see you’re having fun as always.”

The three former Obelisk Force soldiers noticed Leo had arrived. “Professor Akaba!” Dennis exclaimed. “What is it?”

“I couldn’t help but notice how in-sync your dueling is among yourselves,” Leo said. “Maybe your skills would work better in a team.”

“A team?” Sora repeated. “I don’t think that’s tournament-legal.”

“Until now,” Leo continued. “I just got off the phone with Declan. He informed me that after speaking to the Vanguard Association, he decided to host a Team Duel Tournament in a few weeks.”

“Vanguard?” Yuri repeated in disgust. “You mean that cheap Duel Monsters rip-off?”

The Vanguard Association is a company that’s best known for the Cardfight Vanguard card game. The people who play said game are called Cardfighters. They have a heated rivalry with Duelists about which card game is better: Vanguard or Duel Monsters. Yuri calling Vanguard a rip-off is understandable because Duelists believe it is mimicking the Duel Monsters playing style and Cardfighters are being delusional due to them claiming Cray (the planet that’s featured in the franchise lore) is a real place. On the other hand, Cardfighters claim that the Duelists are uncivilized due to having a lot of cards other than basic monsters. All things considered, why the H-E double hockey sticks would Declan host a Team Duel Tournament after talking to Vanguard Association? Are the companies going to co-host this upcoming event?

Sora let out a groan. “Why would Declan talk to those delusional people?” he asked in disdain. “Did they manage to convince him that their pretend planet is real?”

“Not exactly,” Leo explained. “While the Vanguard Association is rather insane with their ideals, their tournaments are for teams of three people. After learning that this format is to promote trust and teamwork, Declan thought that might be a good thing to help restore trust among Duelists after the Interdimensional War.”

This actually left Yuri, Sora, and Dennis somewhat flabbergasted. Usually, when it comes to teaming up, the duels are either done in a tag team or a Battle Royale, but Team Duels were generally illegal in tournaments up until now. But of all the people Declan spoke to, it had to be with the CEO of Vanguard Association. Still, it was a reasonably nice decision of him to make Team Duels tournament-legal, and seeing how well the three worked together and had fun over the years, this could be their big chance to utilize it in a few weeks.

Yuri smirked. “Are you suggesting that the three of us should register under a team?” he asked.

“Certainly,” Leo answered. “You were the best Obelisk Force soldiers.”

“Count me in!” Sora cheered.

“I don’t approve of Declan getting the idea from those Vanguard people, but I do like the idea of working together with my friends,” Dennis said.

“I can already tell this was an excellent idea,” Yuri happily said.

With this in mind, the Obelisk trio eagerly agreed with Leo’s suggestion to register for the first ever Team Duel Tournament. Despite the new change being inspired by a rival card game, they all knew this was going to be a great change for not only them, but for the other Duelists as well. Three different decks will mean a whole new variety of strategies for Dennis, Sora, and Yuri.


	8. Fish Out of Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Celina and Yuri get accustomed to their new lives, Yuto prepares for his first formal party with the Obsidians. But as the night progresses, Yuto's true identity begins to surface...

“DO YOU NEED HELP WITH YOUR HAIR, MISTRESS LULU?” a robot maid asked.

“No thanks,” Lulu politely replied, taking out the curlers in her hair. “But I appreciate the offer.”

“VERY WELL, MISTRESS LULU,” the robot maid said. “WHICH DRESS SHALL YOU BE WEARING THIS EVENING?”

“The light purple one with frills,” Lulu answered.

At the Obsidian residence, not long after talking with Celina, Lulu had finished receiving her spa treatment. She already removed her facial mask and cucumbers and was about to style her hair after removing the curlers. She was looking forward to this night because this is going to be the first time she attends a party with her family after the Invasion struck. They even invited Yuto to the Kastles’ party since Kameron and Astra approve of him and he never went to a grand event like this one. In other words, it was practically a night of firsts for Lulu and her boyfriend.

The robot maid went to Lulu’s closet and got out the dress she requested: the light purple one with frills. She hung it up nicely on the doorknob as her mistress continued tending to her long hair.

“Let’s see…” Lulu mused, searching through curly hairstyles on her Duel Disk. “Which style would work best for me?”

The robot maid scanned through the various images of long, curly hair as Lulu gradually scrolled through the page. While she was figuring that out, Yuto was also getting ready for the night. He had recently started living with the Obsidians after the separation because living there could give him the training he needs for living in an elite society, especially since he came from the middle class. He was nervous about this event because he is one of the few people not from a high social class that will taking part in a grand party. What would the others think about him? Even with the outfit he picked out (a dark grey business suit with a white collared shirt, a black tie, and a pair of black shoes), it may not make a difference.

Orbital, a robot butler, entered the room. “YOU SEEM NERVOUS, MASTER Y-YUTO,” he said. “SHALL I PREPARE HOT TEA FOR YOU?”

“No thanks,” Yuto said, checking his reflection in the full-length mirror.

“BUT YOU ARE NERVOUS,” Orbital stated. “IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP?”

“I guess,” Yuto said as he took off his glasses to clean them with a small cloth.

“YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE NERVOUS,” Orbital said. “BUT DON’T BE. YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR OBSIDIANCORP FOR A WHILE. SURELY THE OTHER PARTYGOERS WILL ACCEPT YOU AS ONE OF THEIR OWN.”

Orbital could be right. Working in a wealthy business may mean a chance of fitting in with everyone in terms of social status. Yuto thanked the robot butler for the advice, with the latter responding that he’s always there to help his master. Before leaving, he wished him good luck and to enjoy the party.

“Thanks Orbital,” Yuto replied as he put his glasses back on. He gave himself one last look in the mirror, hoping this would be enough to let everyone know he was worthy of living in a high society.

Some time later, he met up with the Obsidians. Shay wore a black tux while Lulu donned an outfit that the robot maid helped her pick out: her selected dress with a black shawl over it, black heels, and her curled hair done in a loose ponytail and draped across her left shoulder. Yuto couldn’t help but blush at what his girlfriend was wearing; anything she wears makes her look beautiful.

However, Yuto noticed Lulu’s chest seemed a bit…bare. “Uh, Lulu?” he asked. “Where’s…?”

“I had to cover my En Birds marking with makeup,” Lulu explained. “And the shawl is to hide my scar.”

Yuto was alarmed to hear that. “But why?” he asked. “You shouldn’t hide your beautiful imperfections.”

“The Obsidians have a reputation of being absolutely perfect,” Astra explained. “We can’t let the other families know what has happened to us.”

Yuto understood what Astra means. The Invasion was a devastating time for the XYZ residence, including herself and her family. After she and her husband got carded and their daughter was injured and then abducted, who wouldn’t blame them? The return of the Original Dimension revived their business, but they’re currently working on recovering their wealth. With a fresh new start, they were determined to preserve their reputation in hopes of no one learning about what they endured.

Shay quickly noticed Yuto’s saddened expression. “Don’t be like that,” he said happily. “You should be happy. Tonight’s your big debut as a member of high society.”

“I hope your weeks of training have paid off,” Kameron said.

The eggplant-haired teen hoped so too, but he had trouble hiding his worries. Despite getting advice from Orbital, he still felt a little tense about what to expect. The Obsidians reassured him not to let his worries get the best of him and to focus on having an enjoyable night. He nodded in response and exhaled; he was anticipating for tonight to be another memorable one, hopefully as memorable as the LID dance.

Yuto and the Obsidians left their home and walked to the family car. You think that they would at least take a limo there, but they were not risking any careless accidents. As Kameron drove the family (and Yuto) to the Kastle residence, Yuto thought about how dueling was like in a high social class. He guessed they must have the same views as the other lower classes and imagined that they would find an interest in his Phantom Knights; after all, this archetype is what made him a noble person in the first place. Whether duels were meant to be serious or fun, he hoped everyone will respect his deck and skills as a Duelist.

“I hope you brought your best monsters for tonight, Lulu,” Shay said.

“I did,” Lulu replied. “I even brought my secret weapon.”

“Assembled Nightingale?” Yuto asked.

“Not quite,” Lulu answered, showing Yuto her true secret weapon.

Her secret weapon was actually Mariamne, The True Dracophoenix. She was a Level 9 WIND Wyrm-Type monster with 2700 ATK and 2100 DEF. Her effect allows Lulu to special summon her from her hand by destroying two monsters from her hand or the field; if both of them were also WIND, then four cards from the top of her opponent’s deck were banished. Another effect of hers enables Lulu to add a non-WIND Wyrm-Type from her hand, but she can activate each of Mariamne’s effects once per turn.

Lulu explained to Yuto that she likes using Mariamne because she is as beautiful and powerful as her. She mentioned she doesn’t use the card very often, but when she does, it is treated as a secret weapon for special parties, such as the one going on tonight.

“I can tell,” Yuto said. “She must be a powerful monster.”

“She is,” Lulu replied. “I only save her for these events.”

“How come?” Yuto asked. “Imagine if you showed her off in the next dueling club meeting.”

“Sure,” Lulu said, hiding her nervousness at that statement. “I’ll see what I can do.”

She placed Mariamne back in her deck after finishing that sentence. She felt a little doubtful about showing her secret weapon off at the next club meeting. The best thing she can do is present it tonight to see what Yuto thinks of it in action. If only he and our friends can understand how powerful that card really is… she thought to herself.

The car soon drove in front of the Kastle Manor where the party was taking place. Kameron found a good place to park not too far away from the entrance gate. After parking, everyone got out of the car and started walking towards the mansion. It was time for them to start the post-Invasion era of attending grand parties. Upon entering through the mansion’s doors, Yuto was amazed at how elegant the party was. So many people were invited to this event; it is rather hard to believe there were a lot of XYZ citizens from just the high social class.

“Presenting the Obsidians and…some random boy,” the guest announcer said.

The last part of the statement stunned Yuto a little. Did the guest announcer _not_ receive the name of the person the Obsidians invited to tag along with them? Regardless, several girls noticed him and were attracted to him. Ever since his personality changed while he was growing up, it made him incredibly handsome, which ended up making him a girl magnet. However, there was another reason why Lulu chose this specific attire: she knew something like this would happen and had to visually remind them that he’s taken by her and they don’t take advantage of him. The girls don’t approach him, fortunately, but they snuck in a couple glances of admiration. In Yuto’s case, it’s not always easy being so attractive.

“Uh… Lulu?” Yuto asked. “Why are these rich girls looking at me like that?”

“Never mind them,” Lulu said, placing her arm across Yuto’s shoulders and pulling herself close to him. “They’re after you for your looks. Luckily I dressed accordingly in case something like this happened.”

“But you-” Yuto started to say, but then he realized Lulu wore an outfit that matched his hair colors, so he held her hip and held her close.

Aside from that, the night generally started off well for Yuto and the Obsidians. Kameron, Astra, and Shay spotted their friends and met up with them; it’s also worth noting that Shay has a friendly rivalry with one of them.

“Hello Shay Obsidian,” a long-haired young man said. “It has been a long time since we saw each other.”

Shay chuckled a bit. “Christopher Arclight,” he said. “Are you still rusty with your dueling?”

“Do you really think an Invasion would stop me from practicing?” Christopher asked in response.

“Depends on how I see your skills,” Shay playfully replied.

The Arclights were close friends with the Obsidians. Based on what Christopher said, he, his brothers Thomas and Michael, and their father Byron all survived the Invasion. It would also make sense for him to practice his dueling skills while Heartland was recovering. He was looking forward to testing them out against Shay; on the other hand, the latter believed he may have an advantage because he has built up all the skills he needed after engaging in duels during his time with the Resistance and the Lancers. It would soon be a matter of time for the two to decide who improved the most.

Several minutes have passed and one of the hosts—or hostesses—showed up. It was the Kastles’ daughter Rio; she wore a sleeveless, floor-length, light blue and white dress with a light blue strap that split on her left. Underneath the dress, she also had aquamarine-encrusted heels on her feet. She has been saving this dress for tonight because it suits her ICE-themed deck. It was evident that she was one of the girls who has fallen for Yuto because she becomes lovestruck whenever she looks at him.

Yuto quickly noticed Rio’s gaze. “Who’s the ice girl?” he asked Lulu.

Lulu simply glared at the blue-haired girl. “Rio Kastle,” she said. “Don’t bother with her. She’s not worthy of your time.”

But Rio soon approached the couple. “Hello Lulu Obsidian,” she said. “Who is this gentleman accompanying you?”

“None of your business,” Lulu responded.

“But Lulu, I want to know if this is the man who stole your heart,” Rio said, caressing Yuto’s face. “He is rather handsome.”

Yuto tried his hardest to not blush whereas Lulu knew why Rio wanted to talk to them. She knew the ICE user was pretending to flirt with her boyfriend, especially regarding what happened before the Heartland Duel School dance. She was previously engaged to Reginald, Rio’s twin brother, when she met Yuto. Basically, Rio was angry that someone like Lulu would turn down her brother’s engagement.

“I appreciate the compliment…” Yuto said, gently pushing Rio’s hand away from him. “But I’m already taken.”

“Just as I thought,” Rio said. “You’re that Yuto Osaku person!”

“Come again?” Yuto asked.

“You might not know this, but Lulu Obsidian was originally set to marry my brother, Reginald Kastle,” Rio angrily explained. “But after she transferred schools, the Obsidians informed my mother and father that the arranged marriage was canceled because of someone named Yuto Osaku!”

Hearing this news left Yuto heartbroken. He had no idea Lulu used to be engaged to a wealthier boy at her old school; it was one thing to transfer schools, but getting a new boyfriend was a completely different story, one that made Rio livid to this night. He started wondering why she even chose him in the first place.

“So how could Lulu have fallen for you?” Rio asked Yuto. “You might look wealthy, but I want to see your dueling skills. Only your cards will tell me what you’re really like beneath the perfectly-coiffed hair and sharply-dressed posture.”

“You want to duel me?” Yuto asked.

“Certainly,” Rio replied. “And if you are from a wealthy family, clearly you will know how these duels work.”

Yuto thought about Rio’s offer to duel her. Little does he know is that Elite Duels are different from regular duels; what she just said was a clear indicator of what Elite Duels are like. This concerned Lulu because her boyfriend has never dueled in an elite class before. A fear crept up her that said everyone will know he isn’t born wealthy, but works in a wealthy business. She wanted to help him out without getting in the way of his and Rio’s duel and accidentally exposing him of a middle class resident, but what can she do?

“Very well,” Yuto said, activating his Duel Disk. “I accept your challenge.”

“Good,” Rio said, activating her Duel Disk as well. “You seem to know what you’re doing, so you also know what Elite Duels are.”

The two engaged in their first Elite Duel: ICE vs. Phantom Knights. Ice Beast Zerofyne vs. Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon. A duel to decide how Yuto became Lulu’s boyfriend and what he’s really like. The Obsidians, the Arclights, and the other attendees watched them unleashing their skills, with Yuto behaving like a true knight as always. Unbeknownst to him, most of the partygoers were analyzing the cards he used and determining what he truly is. A worried Lulu noticed this, followed by a loyally protective Shay and a reassuring Kameron and Astra. It doesn’t matter who wins; people are being judged on their social classes by the very cards they draw.

“Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon shall finish this duel!” Yuto declared. “Mauling Mandible Charge!”

Using its signature move, Dark Rebellion destroyed Zerofyne, taking out the rest of Rio’s LP. Yuto may have won the duel, but this was an Elite Duel and almost everyone had a thing or two to say about his social status.

“Just as I thought,” Rio said. “You’re nothing more than a peasant!”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Yuto asked, confused. “I won.”

Lulu looked embarrassed. “Elite Duels aren’t like regular duels,” she explained. “They’re about judging your opponent by the type of cards they use.”

Yuto caught on to what she described and looked around to see so many people agreeing with Rio’s remark. They began viewing and calling him a peasant all because of him using his Phantom Knights. He doesn’t understand why he would be called such a low class name just because he retained his beliefs and how his deck made him so noble. He quickly grew ashamed and upset by all this; even after taking Orbital’s advice, it still didn’t change the fact that he was a middle class resident dating a high class girl. Just then, Shay took a step forward, getting ready to defend his best friend from the crowd, but especially from Rio.

“That’s enough!” Shay demanded. “Just because the Phantom Knights are often used by Duelists who can’t afford more expensive cards, it doesn’t make Yuto a peasant! In fact, I was the one who encouraged him to use those cards!”

“Why are you defending that peasant?” Rio bitterly asked.

“Because he’s my friend,” Shay responded. “If it wasn’t for the Phantom Knights, Yuto would have still been a timid boy. I encouraged him to envision himself as being brave like those knights, and because of that encouragement, Yuto Osaku is just as chivalrous as any other gentleman!”

“Precisely!” Lulu agreed. “You might think the Phantom Knights are for peasants, but for Yuto, they reflect how noble he is!”

“But he still doesn’t belong here,” Rio pointed out. “Why do you even love him?”

Yuto wondered about that question as well. Why did she even choose him and why does she love him? Lulu’s response to this soon became clear for the Phantom Knight user.

“Because he was the first one who didn’t love me for my background,” Lulu answered. “When we first met, I could tell from the look in his eyes that he didn’t care about my family history. As we spent more time together, it became clear that he loves me for who I am. He is a true gentleman because of his kind heart, and that should be enough proof for why I love him.”

Yuto’s sadness transformed into contentedness because it was true. When he first met her, he loved her for her natural beauty, but over time, he has also grown to admire her sweet, loyal, and strong personality. In both cases, her family history and social status didn’t matter to him. She and Shay were right; over the years, he has become a true knight and a real gentleman who will protect and care for those he values most, even his girlfriend. It became remarkably evident that their love for each other was unbreakable.

Rio scoffed. “So what?” she asked. “You must have gone soft on those commoners!”

“Oh really?” Lulu asked. “Well I beg to differ.” She proceeded to take out her Mariamne card for all to see.

Everyone gasped at the sight of Mariamne, including Yuto. He began to understand why Lulu only uses that card for formal parties: it is to show everyone that she will always be a graceful yet tough girl whether or not her soon-to-be husband is a commoner. Since Yuto loves her for who she is, it helps strengthen the parallels between her and her now-revealed secret weapon. That was how genuinely powerful Mariamne, The True Dracophoenix really is, and it made his contentedness turn to how proud he is of Lulu.

“You see?” Lulu asked, placing her Dracophoenix back in her deck. “Even though Yuto is a commoner, this doesn’t change who I am.”

Rio was still shocked. “But-”

“Rio, what do you think you’re doing?”

The ICE user turned around to see Reginald, who wore a dark blue suit, walking towards her. He had noticed her Elite Duel with Yuto and overheard the little “episode” going on with her, Shay, and Lulu. Lulu also heard his voice and was surprised to see her ex-fiancé again. She pondered on why he abruptly showed up in the midst of defending Yuto.

“Reginald,” Lulu said. “It’s been a while.”

“Indeed it has,” Reginald agreed. “But I never thought you would have fallen for a commoner.”

“Yuto is a noble gentleman,” Lulu repeated. “I love him for who he is.”

“I see,” Reginald remarked. “But I want to know if your dueling style has changed.”

“Oh, really?” Lulu asked, already activating her Duel Disk.

“Indeed,” Reginald replied as he also activated his Duel Disk. “Ever since the Invasion struck Heartland, your family has gone missing. Mother and father had sent out your invitation in hopes of your return, so it was a surprise to see you here.”

Another Elite Duel was about to begin, but it was between Reginald and Lulu: WATER vs. Lyrilusc. Shark Drake vs. Assembled Nightingale. A duel to determine who improved their skills the most based on the changes they made. As it progressed, it increased in tension, with Yuto and the Obsidians rooting for Lulu and Rio supporting her brother. Reginald utilizing a burn strategy with his WATER monsters gave him an advantage, but it didn’t stop his ex from swarming the field with Lyrilusc monsters. Once she had summoned over twp of them, it was time for her to bring out her ace.

“I overlay Lyriluscs Turquoise Warbler, Colbalt Sparrows, and Sapphire Swallows!” Lulu declared. “Birds with beautiful wings, gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight in the bright sky! I XYZ Summon Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale!”

Suddenly, as Assembled Nightingale appeared on the field, Lulu’s En Birds marking started glowing from her chest without having a clue about it. However, this managed to catch everyone else off guard. What made this baffling for Yuto, Kameron, Astra, and Shay is the marking was covered up with makeup. How was it still able to penetrate through it with its glow?

As everyone was focused on her glowing marking, Lulu activated her summoned XYZ monster’s updated effects. First off, Assembled Nightingale receives a 1000 ATK boost since it gains 200 ATK for every attached XYZ Material. Secondly, having five attached XYZ Materials, it is allowed to attack five times during the Battle Phase. With everything prepared, she was ready to whip out a OHKO to Reginald’s life points.

“I will finish you off with Assembled Nightingale!” Lulu said. “Graceful Winds!”

Assembled Nightingale directly attacked Reginald five times, bringing down his LP to 0. With the Elite Duel over, Lulu’s marking stopped glowing, leaving everyone at the party speechless. Upon piecing together why there was no reactions from anyone, she kept looking at their faces. Did she do anything wrong? Or did something else struck that grabbed their attention?

“My god…” one of the partygoers said. “Why was she glowing?!”

Questions and possibilities flooded her mind. Glowing? Glowing from where? It couldn’t be from the eyes because that only happened when Zarc and the Yu-Salad Awakened. But where else on her body could this glow come from? She eventually realized what may have caused this: her marking. It must have reacted when she performed an XYZ Summon; apparently, it was bright enough to glow through the makeup, which seemed rather improbable. How can something as simple as makeup not be enough to prevent a little light from appearing? Pretty soon, the only emotions that she felt were disbelief, stupefaction, and fear.

Her boyfriend and family saw how distraught she was and headed over to see if she was okay. They have never seen anything like that happen before, but when the partygoers were thunderstruck by something abnormal, it was bound to be serious.

“What happened to the Obsidians during their disappearance?”

“It must be connected to the unexpected Invasion from those masked soldiers!”

“What else is this family hiding?”

Suspicions arose from those that watched the second Elite Duel. Kameron and Astra were busy relaxing their only daughter, but the overlapping gossip was becoming stressful for them. Shay also did whatever he could help, but all Lulu did was hug her parents and brother, slowly on the brink of crying. She knew tonight wasn’t their night. First Yuto gets called out for being a commoner, then Rio questioned her reasoning behind her current relationship, and now the Obsidian family name may be on the line. The poor girl just wanted to attend a simple grand party without any trouble happening, but now she didn’t want this night to exist at all.

During the familial reassurance, Yuto noticed the tears streaming down Lulu’s face. She trembled with despair and distress, believing she may the cause of this night. If she hadn’t transferred schools, this wouldn’t have happened; at the same time, she would have never met her true boyfriend. She buried her face in her father’s clothes, losing control of not trying to cry. Yuto exhaled through his nose and stood up. She and Shay protected him from Rio earlier, and now it was his turn to protect them. It was his time to be a true knight outside of a duel once again.

“Lulu, take off your shawl,” Yuto said.

Lulu turned to face her boyfriend, still crying. “Wh-What?”

“Trust me,” Yuto said, speaking in a gentle tone.

Although still upset with what’s going on, Lulu nodded her head. She has trusted him in the past, so no doubt she’ll trust him again. She got up and wiped away her heavy-flowing tears, then proceeded to remove her black shawl to reveal the scar she got back during the Invasion.

“I was greatly injured during the Invasion,” Lulu explained, still crying. “An Ancient Gear Hunting Hound slashed my back, damaging my spine in the process. I had to get spinal implants or I would have lost the ability to use my legs.”

Shay took a deep breath. “She’s not the only one who got hurt,” he said, lifting up the left side of his dress pants to reveal a robotic leg that was designed to look normal. “I was attacked by a Chaos Ancient Gear Giant at one point, who crushed my left leg. The damage was so bad that it had to be amputated and replaced by a robotic prosthetic.”

“My wife and I weren’t so lucky,” Kameron said.

“Indeed,” Astra agreed. “Our souls were sealed into cards and sacrificed into a large machine that nearly killed our daughter. If it wasn’t for a Duelist named Yuya Sakaki, we wouldn’t have been able to recover.”

Everyone was alarmed at Lulu, Shay, Kameron, and Astra’s revelations. They initially thought the Obsidians plainly disappeared when Duel Academy invaded, but spinal plates and a robotic leg? They also knew about a huge number of people in Heartland getting carded; however, they never knew about the Fusion Dimension’s main intentions. Learning one of them was almost paralyzed from the waist-down while the other lost his left leg and their parents were among the victims that were nearly sacrificed to a dimensional-fusing machine was quite the eye-opener.

“Do you see how much this family went through?” Yuto asked, showing no fear in his eyes. “They wanted to relax after all of the hardships and for you to treat them as if the Invasion never occurred. But then you had the nerve to criticize them and question their status in this society! They are still trying to recover from the financial losses, so the least you could do is offer them support!”

Just then, a voice called out from within the crowd. It sounded rather cat-like. Lulu recognized that familiar voice; it belonged to none other than Cathy Katherine, her best friend who was also invited to the party with her family. From the sounds of things, she was deeply concerned about what happened to the Obsidians after the Invasion and wants to say something in regards to them.

“I support them!” Cathy had cried out. “Lulu Obsidian has been my best friend since childhood, and I don’t care if she was reduced to a ragged servant girl! I will give my support to the family!”

“As do I,” Byron Arclight agreed. “Kameron and Astra have always been strong business partners and my sons are good friends with their children. We will offer full support until they recover.”

Murmurs broke the silence, discussing the given situation at hand. Sure enough, it soon became gradually escalating voices of support, with friends, couples, and families reaching out for any assistance, even if it’s just donating money. They remembered how ObsidianCorp did a fantastic job at keeping the city parks clean every day; although the Original Dimension’s return restored the corporation building, their wealth still remained the same. After being blinded by judgmental Elite Duels at this party, they want to make it up to the Obsidians for the way they acted, as well as show their gratitude for making Heartland City the beautiful and colorful city it was known for.

“What?!” Rio exclaimed. “Why are you-”

Reginald placed his hand on Rio’s shoulder. “Let it go, sister,” he said, glaring at Thomas. “There’s no use arguing with the ones who wield three of the most powerful XYZ cards in the world.”

Rio reluctantly sighed, knowing that the Arclights are helping out a family that turned down her brother’s engagement. At the same time, Yuto was accepting being a part of Lulu and Shay’s circle of upper class friends. He may not be born in a high class, but that didn’t stop him from working his way up to feeling welcome by wealthy yet caring people. He had a thought about his mom, but it was different than the last time. In this case, he knew that somewhere up in the heavens, Lono must be so proud of how much her son has grown and matured.

“Aww… There’s that smile I love!” Lulu said, giving her boyfriend a quick kiss on the cheek.

“I can see why you fell for him, Lulu,” Cathy remarked. “He’s so gorgeous, especially with his cute hair.”

Yuto was flattered by that comment, but this type of flattery Cathy displayed was more of a playful tease. He could tell she was the only girl at the party that approached the eggplant-haired teen, maintained a genial personality, and knows he is a keeper. These were a few signs that indicated Cathy as Lulu’s true friend. Lulu giggled, knowing the gray-haired feline girl already accepted Yuto as her best friend’s boyfriend, and lightheartedly reminded her the real reason why she fell for him as the grand party continued on for the rest of the night.


	9. Beautiful Odd-Eyes and Girl's Night Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the wake of the separation, Yuya has a hard time adjusting to his new eye color. Fearing a reason for others to bully him again, he conceals his eyes, but not even Zuzu would allow him to get in a funk again.

The next morning, at the Sakaki residence, Yuya and Sora were having breakfast, eating Yoko’s homemade pancakes once again. With a killer recipe like hers, it makes you want to eat it every morning like those two. Before starting on his next pancake, Yuya asked Sora if anything new happened ever since Zarc brought back the Original Dimension. The candy-loving young teen replied that he, Dennis, and Yuri bought new cards yesterday and tested them out at Duel Academy. He also mentioned Leo telling him and his two Obelisk friends that Declan is hosting a Team Duel Tournament in a few weeks.

The tomato-haired teen was blown away after hearing the news. He asked Sora if Team Duels were now tournament-legal; the latter said “Yes” because Declan spoke with the CEO of the Vanguard Association, with Yuya groaning after hearing that company’s name. His reaction was pretty much similar to Sora, Dennis, and Yuri’s. Anyways, he learned about Declan making Team Duels legal because he wanted Duelists to establish trust among each other the same way Card Fighters do, especially after the Interdimensional War. Registrations were beginning soon, where a team composing of three Duelists must sign up if they wish to take part in it.

Yuya was pumped about the upcoming tournament and couldn’t wait to form his team. Sora casually warned his adopted brother to be prepared for his team in a few weeks. He said they were getting some ideas on their Dueltaining style that will surely captivate the audience. This intrigued the former; a new Dueltaining style? Whatever it was, he was looking forward to it even more now.

“What is it?” Yuya asked.

“Can’t tell you this early,” Sora innocently answered. “Just be prepared for a new dueling king.”

Shortly after answering, Sora noticed Yuya wearing his goggles over his eyes. That’s strange, he wondered. When was the last time he wore them? He honestly couldn’t remember, but considering recent events, he may know the reason why.

“Uh, Yuya?” Sora asked. “What’s with the goggles?”

“Huh?” Yuya murmured, alarmed. “Oh… That. I, uh…was up playing Duel Sims all night! Yeah, that’s it!” He let out a small laugh. “Don’t want anyone to see me with tired eyes.”

Sora wasn’t buying it and, with the aftermath of the separation plan still in his head, questioned if it had anything to do with the dual eye colors. Quickly realizing that the Duel Simulators excuse wasn’t going to work, Yuya sighed out a “Yeah”, explaining that he still doesn’t feel used to having two different eye colors.

“It just doesn’t feel right,” Yuya admitted, briefly touching his face near his left eye. “Why did I end up like this once Zarc was separated again?”

“Beats me,” Sora replied with a shrug. “But what are you so afraid of? Don’t you want people to see your eyes?”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Yuya answered. “What if the other kids at school make fun of me for having two different eye colors?”

Knowing he now has Odd-Eyes’ eye colors, Yuya was afraid that people may come up with a new taunt, something like “an odd-eyed freak with an odd-eyed dragon”. His nervousness and fear were starting to come back to him; just when he thought he didn’t have to worry about Yusho going missing or the threat of Zarc, something had to show up in front of him to give him something else to be anxious about. He was starting to go through a relapse.

“Cheer up, Yuya!” Sora said. “You’re probably overreacting. Do you really think everyone will make fun of you?”

“Yes,” Yuya bluntly stated.

There may be a possibility of that happening because people always find ways to bully someone. Ever since his father didn’t show up for his duel against the Sledgehammer, Yuya was bullied about it. He wasn’t sure if he could handle any more bullying from everyone, especially since he just got his father back and the Zarc situation was permanently dealt with.

“I still think they won’t make fun of you for your new eye colors,” Sora insisted.

Yuya started having some second thoughts about this. Maybe Sora’s right about the different eye colors. There must be other people in the world who has two eye colors like him. The only way he was going to find out is him taking on the day. Now having mixed feelings about this, he thanked Sora for the talk and finished eating breakfast. He doesn’t want to be late for school.

At Paradise Prep, the day seemed to be going on as normal: classes, lunch, gym, the usual. Yuya did whatever he did to make sure he didn’t made any eye contact with anyone except Zuzu, Celina, and Sylvio. Shortly after the separation procedure, Celina started attending Paradise Prep; during this, Zuzu noticed her Fusion counterpart had her hair down. The indigo-haired girl explained it was because she found a new dueling rival in Sylvio. Although they weren’t officially dating, they acted more like girlfriend and boyfriend. The three asked Yuya during their lunch break about why he wasn’t like himself today, with him responding that he doesn’t want anyone making fun of his dual eye colors.

Sylvio covered his mouth, trying to muffle a laugh. “It’s not funny!” Yuya snapped.

“I think what Sylvio is responding to is how ridiculous you’re acting,” Celina explained. “Now will you stop acting scared and take off your goggles already?”

Yuya lifted his goggles up to his head, causing some water to splash down on the ground. The water happened to be his own tears, which came from his visibly-upset eyes. Has he been crying this whole time?

“Yuya…” Zuzu sadly said.

“I don’t know why this happened to me,” Yuya said, still crying. “This can’t be covered up by makeup. I’m stuck with these weird eye colors and not even colored contacts can fix it!”

Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri were lucky; even though they also got eye colors to match their respective dragons’ eyes, they were all single-colored. Why is he the only one with double-colored eyes? A better question would actually be why Odd-Eyes has double-colored eyes. Zuzu moved from her spot to sit next to Yuya to try and cheer him up. She comforted him before when dealing with Yusho’s sudden disappearance and she’ll do it again. Besides, she wants to see his smiling face again.

“Hey Yuya…” Zuzu said. “Didn’t you say Declan is going to host a Team Duel Tournament?”

Yuya could simply nod in response.

“Then how about we form a team with Gong and take part in the tournament together?” Zuzu suggested.

This seemed to have help brighten Yuya’s mood. Coincidentally, he wanted to ask his friends after school to see if a couple of them wanted to join his team once he calmed down. He asked Zuzu if she really meant it, receiving a smiling nod as her answer.

“Team Duels?” Sylvio asked. He looked repulsed. “Don’t tell me Declan got the idea from-”

“He did,” Yuya answered. “I’m not happy about it either, but it’s to promote teamwork between Duelists.”

“I swear, Cardfighters are the worst,” Celina added. “I heard one of the more skilled ones claimed his favorite card was his alien dad.”

Zuzu laughed a bit. “Seriously?” she asked. “How delusional are those people?”

“But wait!” Yuya said, chiming in on the humor. “My favorite card is Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.” He took the card out of his deck and let out a mock gasp. “Could he have been my _real_ dad this whole time?”

Yuya’s friends laughed at his humorous yet sarcastic remark. If there was one thing all Duelists enjoy is mocking Cardfighters, so it was no surprise that they, along with Yuya, would also discuss about this topic. Throughout their lunch period, they continued doing just that; at one point, Sylvio told the gang that he overheard a conversation about Vanguard from a couple students a few hours earlier when they were in between classes about some weird card-reading power called ‘Psyquallia’. He ranked Card Fighters an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most delusional. Naturally, they all agreed with that statement.

After having a fun lunch break and finishing the rest of the school day, Yuya and Zuzu went to You Show Duel School with Gong to practice for the upcoming tournament. Since this is a Team Duel, they need to determine which strategies would work well with the Performapals, Melodius, and Superheavy Samurai archetypes. The best way to answer this was with a Battle Royale. So far, they were keeping track of which monster effects, Spells, and Traps coincides fluidly with all three decks.

“My turn!” Yuya happily announced. “I draw!”

He looked at the card he drew, triggering a panic attack. It was Stargazer Magician, which reminded him of the Sorcerer cards Zarc used during his duels against Leo and the Lancers. He never forgot that day… The day the four dimensions were merging as his incarnation made his return, proving himself to be unstoppable as he defeated every single one of them until his demise at the hands of Riley and Ray. Ever since then, Yuya and Zuzu had their souls fused with their counterparts until recently. Everything that happened until now is what led to his eyes changing color.

“No…” Yuya said, dropping the cards in his hands and he fell to his knees and covered his left eye. “I can’t let things go back to the way they were!” He started crying again. “I can’t be a laughing stock again!”

Zuzu and Gong ran up to their friend to see what was going on. The Superheavy Samurai user asked what was happening to their tomato-haired friend and Zuzu replied that it has to do with his dual eye colors. She explained that he ended up gaining Odd-Eyes’ eye colors after Zarc and Ray were officially separated and is afraid people may start making fun of him again. After the Interdimensional War ended, he wanted to continue being himself without having the aftermath of his father’s disappearance looming over him again. In all fairness, who wouldn’t blame him? The two tried their hardest to make Yuya feel better.

“Don’t be like that, Yuya!” Gong said. “You can’t let your new eye colors distract you!”

“Don’t you remember what happened when my dad vanished?” Yuya asked, still crying as he closed his eyes. “I refuse to let it happen again!”

Zuzu asked Yuya if he can remove his hand from his left eye. He was initially hesitant, but this was his childhood friend. She was always there for him for comfort, regardless of how upsetting the issue may be. He never forgot the time she brought reassurance to him after Yusho vanished. With tears still welling up, he lowered his hand from his left eye, which had his green iris. His eyes remained closed, but he felt Zuzu’s lips press against his eyelid.

Yuya let out a soft gasp. “Zuzu…” he said, speaking very softly.

His right eye opened slightly and his cheeks turned light pink upon feeling his eyelid getting kissed. The first thing he saw was Zuzu and she noticed that she looked as pretty as a flower. His eyes open wide, he realized what he said about how there’s nothing sweet about her was wrong. She really was a sweetheart and he never knew until now. He was convinced that he may be developing feelings for her.

Yuya soon was overcame with a variety of emotions: lovestruck, sadness, tranquility, reassurance. They were increasingly overlapping his head, slowly clouding his thoughts until he reached out and connected his lips to Zuzu’s, surprising her. She always knew he was rather spontaneous, but this was the most unexpected thing he has ever done. Why did he do this? Whatever the reason is, she eventually succumbed to the stunning display of affection and returned the kiss to him, entangling her fingers through his hair. If she was going to be honest, she thought he was adorable, from his feminine-looking eyes and face to his girlish and fluffy short hair, but she’s come to realize how beautiful he always was. Simultaneously, he hugged her tightly as they kissed, out of fear of losing her again. After everything that happened during the Interdimensional War, he didn’t want anything bad happening to her while also desiring to cherish what makes her the most fantastic girl he has ever met.

Ultimately the two parted for breath, but Yuya was still holding tight. “I said it once and I’ll say it again,” the tomato-haired teen said, his eyes brimming with tears. “I missed you. We’re finally back together and I’ll never let you out of my sight again.”

“Yuya…” Zuzu breathed, realizing that Yuya was confessing his love to her.

At that moment, Gong cleared his throat. “So are we gonna go back to training, or does Gong have to watch you two smooching?”

The sound of Gong’s throat clearing startled the two, causing them to blush out of slight embarrassment. They instantly stood up from the floor, with Yuya picking up the cards he dropped. As they got back into their dueling positions, they continued where they left off, which was his first Main Phase. Looking at the Stargazer Magician he drew, he breathed out of his mouth, preparing to initiate a Pendulum Summon. Despite what may have happened back when the dimensions were merging, he remembered Zarc’s monsters were similar to his own and his counterparts, but they will be nothing like them. Grasping onto his pendant, he recited what Yusho taught him in his head. He then bolted his eyes open, revealing his red and green irises, ready to make his move.

“I’ll use Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician to set the Pendulum Scale!” Yuya declared. “I’m taking control of this duel starting now!”

With his Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician on the Pendulum Scale, Yuya was ready to summon his monsters between Levels 2 and 7. Before doing so, he narrated his famous Pendulum Summoning chant.

“I’m allow to summon monsters Level 2 through 7 all at the same time!” Yuya continued. “Swing far, pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! My monsters are ready…to SWING INTO ACTIOOOOOON!”

He proceeded to Pendulum Summon a total of five monsters. Flying out of the Pendulum “portal” were two horned female monsters, one with yellow hair with magenta highlights tied in a long ponytail and the other with light blue pigtails, a black-haired shogun with dark red armor, a small, chartreuse dragon with a golden, oval coin, and his ace monster.

“Wow the crowd, Performapal Corn!” Yuya announced. “Dazzle and shine, Performapal Uni! Slice n’ dice, Performapal Handsome Liger! Shine in the spotlight, Performapal Coin Dragon! Turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!”

Zuzu and Gong stared in awe as Yuya’s summoned monsters took center stage of the Battle Royale. Shortly thereafter, he activated Corn’s effect, switching her and Uni to Defense Position and Coin Dragon’s monster effect has all Dragon-Type monsters he controls gain 500 ATK; now he was ready to battle. He had Handsome Liger attack and destroy one of Zuzu’s Melodius monster, letting him add a Level 5 or higher Pendulum monster from his hand. At the same time, Odd-Eyes sent one of Gong’s Superheavy Samurai monsters—which was in defense position—to the Graveyard. With that, he placed one card face down and ended his turn. Now it was time for Zuzu to try and turn this duel around in her favor.

“Not bad,” Zuzu said. “Now it’s my turn to set the Pendulum Scale! And I’ll do that with Scale 1 Beetho the Melodious Songstress and Scale 9 Opheli the Melodious Operetta!”

Her Pendulum scale was set as a green-skinned girl in a piano dress and a blonde girl dressed in black with a white mask appeared on the field, enabling her to summon any monsters between Levels 2 and 8 all at once. She knew which ones she was going to choose: Aria the Melodious Diva, Sonata the Melodious Diva, and Mozarta the Melodious Maestra. Her plan is to Pendulum Summon them so that she can Fusion Summon her ace: Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir.

“Fairies of song, lend me your voices!” Zuzu chanted. “Take flight onto the stage in a beautiful harmony! I enact the Pendulum Summon of floral glory!”

Once the Melodious monster appeared, Zuzu, who was complete oblivious to her glowing marking on her right cheek, activated her two Divas’ effects. Since Aria was special summoned, all her monsters aren’t targeted by card effects or destroyed by battle. Sonata was also special summoned because she controlled a Melodious monster, giving all Fairy-Type monsters a 500 ATK and DEF increase. Time for her Battle Phase to commence.

“Next I activate Polymerization to fuse Aria and Mozarta!” Zuzu continued. “Together, you’ll sing a sensational duet that will form an even more Melodious monster! I Fusion Summon Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir!”

If targeted, Bloom Diva negates battle damage from attacks involving this card and isn’t destroyed by battle or card effects. By attacking and destroying an opponent’s special summoned monster, she can inflict damage equal to the difference between the original ATK of the opposing monster and her. _Now_ she was ready for her Battle Phase.

“Bloom Diva, attack Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!” Zuzu declared. “Vaporizing Miracle!”

Normally, Zuzu would be taking the damage because Bloom Diva has 1000 ATK, but thanks to her effect, the damage is actually dealt to Yuya. Since Odd Eyes’ original ATK was 2500, that means he was about to lose 1500 LP. He was so focused by the glowing marking that he almost forgot to activate his face-down card… Almost.

“I activate the Trap card Cross Damage!” Yuya exclaimed. “Since I’m about to lose 1500 life points, you also lose the same amount!”

Vaporizing Miracle struck Odd Eyes, destroying it and lowering Yuya’s LP by 1500. At the same time, Bloom Diva remains on the field due to her effect, but it doesn’t prevent Cross Damage from dealing the same amount of damage to Zuzu. It was almost like attacking an opponent’s monster whose stronger than yours and you end up taking the damage. After the tomato-haired teen’s maneuver was finished, his pink-haired friend had no choice but to end her turn.

“I’ll have to end my turn,” Zuzu said as her marking stopped glowing.

Before Gong began his turn, he asked Zuzu why her marking stopped glowing. She was confused about what he means by that and Yuya commented about how it glowed pink from her right cheek from when she Pendulum Summoned up until now. Her eyes widened a little as she touched her En Flowers marking; she wasn’t aware of it during her turn. It was no wonder why she could have sworn she caught a glimpse of her friends’ stunned faces. They all agreed it must have something to do with her Pendulum Summoning. She then had an idea that can turn this brief confusion into something spectacular for the tournament. Her glowing marking can help provide a bit of creativity during her turns to emphasize the entertainment Yusho demonstrates and teaches his students.

The two boys were intrigued by this. It sounded like a marvelous idea to add some pizazz to their Dueltaining. They wondered if Zuzu’s counterparts’ markings also glowed to their respective special summons and how they will incorporate it to their teams. Zuzu replied that they’ll find a way…except Lulu, who was more focused on bringing back her family’s wealth. For now, they continued their duel, with Gong starting his turn. At the end of the day, they managed to record a few working strategies and planned on finding more starting tomorrow.

“So what should we call our team?” Yuya asked.

“How about Team Smiles?” Zuzu suggested.

“Team Smiles?” Gong asked. “Gong likes that. Puts an emphasis on our dueling styles.”

“Then it’s settled,” Yuya said. “We’re Team Smiles!”

The three took out their aces and drew them up in the air, officially forming Team Smiles. After putting them back in their decks, Yuya asked Zuzu what she was doing tonight and she replied that’s she, Celina, and Rin were all invited by Lulu to attend a sleepover at the Obsidian family house.

“A sleepover?” Yuya asked.

“It was Lulu’s idea,” Zuzu explained. “She figured we could all use some girl time, mostly since she jokingly told Rin she’s forgetting her gender.”

“Why would she forget her own-” Yuya was about to ask, but then he realized she mostly hangs out with guys. “Oh…”

Zuzu chuckled at Yuya’s realization since Rin was the most tomboyish out of all the Bracelet Girls. She then grabbed her stuff to bring most of them back home because she wanted to pack her pajamas, Duel Monsters cards, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, and the clothes Alexis Rhodes gave to her back in the Fusion Dimension.

“Dad, I’m heading over to Lulu’s place!” Zuzu called out.

“Don’t forget to call if you need to be picked up!” Skip replied.

Zuzu responded that she will as she headed out the door. Taking out her Duel Disk, she opened up the Maps app and enter Lulu’s address to get directions. Once the directions were given, she started walking down the sidewalk. Some time later, she stopped in front of a gate. She looked through it to see a building that is bigger than a large house but smaller than a mansion; this must be the Obsidian residence. She noticed a speaker on the gate, so she pressed a button to let the family know she’s not an intruder.

“WHO IS THIS?”

“I’m Zuzu Boyle,” the Dueltainer answered. “A friend of Lulu’s.”

“MISTRESS L-LULU, DO YOU KNOW ANYONE NAMED ZUZU BOYLE?”

“Yes, Orbital. Let her in.”

“YES MADAM, MISTRESS L-LULU.”

The front gates opened, allowing Zuzu to enter. As she walked down the pathway to the house, she glanced over at the well-cut hedges, the freshly mowed lawn, and how huge the front yard is. She wasn’t expecting Lulu to come from a wealthy family; guess she learned something new about her XYZ counterpart. Upon approaching the house, she knocked on the door, and after waiting a few seconds, it opened, revealing Lulu, Celina, and Rin all in their pajamas.

“Hey Zuzu!” Lulu happily said. “I’m glad you could finally make it.”

“Sorry I’m late,” Zuzu said. “I was training with my team for the upcoming tournament.”

“Your team wouldn’t happen to include Yuya, would it?” Rin asked.

“He and Gong are my teammates, so yeah,” Zuzu answered.

“That’s no surprise,” Celina said. “I managed to form a team with Sylvio, but it was tough trying to find a third teammate. I suggested Moon Shadow, but it turns out he and Sun Shadow are stuck on ‘baby duty’. Luckily we came across that Aura girl and she didn’t mind joining our team.”

“Baby duty?” Zuzu repeated.

“Apparently Riley not smiling wasn’t because of the darkness within Zarc’s heart, but because all of her memories were retained and she clearly remembers the experimenting Henrietta did to her,” Celina explained. “Declan decided it would be best for Moon Shadow to raise her properly.”

“But didn’t Riley apparently smile as she watched Yuya’s duels?” Rin asked, remembering what Yuya explained to the other counterparts.

“Turns out she was just distracted by him,” Celina clarified.

This took a little adjusting, but Riley getting distracted must have coincidentally purified Zarc’s soul. They were admittedly glad that it happened because the last thing they needed was him and his darkness returning and threatening the world once more. With that out of the way, Zuzu asked her counterparts what were the plans for the sleepover.

“Just typical girl things,” Lulu answered. “Painting our nails, gushing about boys, discussing dueling strategies for the tournament…”

“Wait, I thought you weren’t participating,” Zuzu recalled.

“I thought so too,” Lulu said. “But mother and father wanted Shay and I to participate because our family company is a sponsor, so we formed a team with Yuto.”

Lulu’s counterparts questioned about why her parents’ company was sponsoring the tournament, with her responding that her parents received an email from Leo Corporation about how Declan is hosting it as a way to promote teamwork and trust among Duelists and asked if ObsidianCorp would sponsor it. Naturally, they said “Yes”, but it was for a different reason; they were always glad to sponsor special events, but they wanted to find ways to bring back their wealth, so this was a good starting point. After they agreed to the request and she, Shay, and Yuto formed their team called Team Noble, she was curious about why team duels were now legal. Kameron and Astra—annoyed at what the most likely reason is—both had a hunch that the Vanguard Association is involved with it, causing Team Noble to groan in disgust. Hearing this made Rin annoyed as well, with Lulu with an “Exactly” face and Zuzu and Celina mentioning about how they talked about Cardfighters with Sylvio and Yuya during lunch.

“Those Cardfighters are probably going to attend,” Rin guessed.

“Probably,” Lulu figured.

“I bet they want to see how badly us Duelists will screw up their tournament style,” Celina added.

After talking about the tournament, the Bracelet Girls headed upstairs to Lulu’s room, where they were doing makeovers and talking about their crushes…most of them, actually. Celina was completely unsure of what to do. For someone who grew up in Duel Academy with no social skills, this was understandable. At the same time, Zuzu suspected Rin of having a different behavior to all this girly stuff since she is a tomboy, but she was actually having a blast with doing makeovers. The pink-haired girl saw a perplexed Celina and asked her if she can braid her hair.

“Uh… No thanks,” Celina said. “I don’t want to get too attached to my hair.”

“Oh?” Rin asked. “You want short hair?”

“Kind of,” Celina admitted, tugging on her indigo hair. “My hair was always this length my whole life. Since I’m trying to find my identity outside of Duel Academy, I figured a haircut could help me rediscover who I really am.”

“You should go for it!” Rin encouraged, finger-combing her short, mint green hair. “Short hair is easier to manage. Definitely useful for Turbo Duels.”

“But I’m not sure if I would like it,” Celina said.

“Don’t question it,” Lulu said. “Just go for it.” She proceeded to clap her hands twice, causing Lillybot to enter the room.

“WHAT IS IT, MISTRESS LULU?” Lillybot asked.

“Show Celina where the salon room is,” Lulu instructed. “She wants to try out a new look.”

“I UNDERSTAND, MISTRESS LULU,” Lillybot replied.

Lillybot escorted Celina to the salon room, leaving the other three girls in Lulu’s room. “So Zuzu, you said you were practicing with your team,” the XYZ Duelist said.

“Yeah,” Zuzu replied.

“Did you and Yuya…?” Lulu asked.

Zuzu blushed. “You did!” Rin realized.

“He just kissed me,” Zuzu explained. “I mean, he’s beautiful, but he mostly felt upset about having two eye colors.” She smiled softly. “But he has soft, fluffy hair and an adorable smile.”

“Fluffy?” Lulu asked, amused.

Zuzu explained that even though his hair may not be as spiky as his Yuto’s, but she didn’t mind that at all. Alongside his loyalty to his friends and his smile, the soft fluffiness of his hair is one of the qualities that makes Yuya stand out from the Yu-Salad in her eyes. Admittedly, part of her felt like the hair and face make him look like a girl.

“At least Yugo doesn’t have that 'mistaken for a girl’ problem,” Rin said as she painted her nails. “Sure he’s loud and rude, but he’s taking better care of his looks, especially his hair. He’s been combing it more often and he started bathing regularly, so he looks much cuter.”

Lulu politely muffled a laugh. “He is!” Rin insisted. “Once you get past the rude behavior, you’ll see that he means well.”

“Who are we talking about?”

Celina and Lillybot returned from the salon room. The Fusion girl founded a new hairstyle she liked and now has a shoulder-length bob cut. Her counterparts were amazed.

“Not bad,” Zuzu said.

“It feels a bit weird,” Celina said. “But I like it. Feels more like me.”

“I bet whoever you like is going to be impressed,” Rin said. But then she realized she, Zuzu, and Lulu have fallen in love for their respected Zarc counterparts. What if that happened to Celina as well? “Are you…?”

“Oh, hecks no,” Celina corrected, sitting next to Zuzu. “Yuri is egotistical and he looks as ugly as his personality.”

“Then who’s the lucky guy?” Rin asked, intrigued.

Celina blushed slightly. “Sylvio,” she admitted.

“Who?” Rin asked.

“A nicer version of Yuri,” Zuzu explained.

“He’s also a worthy rival,” Celina said. “He often compliments my dueling strategies and he doesn’t deliberately anger me like Yuri did.”

“So it seems my counterparts have fallen for a showman, a quick-tempered biker, and a flashy actor,” Lulu said. “It looks like I’m the only one who found the better guy.”

“Yuto?” Celina asked.

Lulu let out a loving sigh. “Yes…” she said, brushing her long hair. “He’s such a noble gentleman. It helps that he’s so handsome with his cute smile, adorable spiky hair, and gorgeous eyes.”

Rin glanced over to see Lulu brushing her long, dark purple hair. She seemed rather mesmerized by it, as if she was missing out on something. She lightly pulled some strands of her short hair. Although she liked how short it is, it was clear she also wanted to try a new hairstyle like Celina did. After letting go of her hair strands, she made a decision on what she wants to do.

“Lulu, what’s it like having long hair?” Rin asked.

“Amazing,” Lulu answered, still brushing her hair. “The best part is styling it for the right occasion.”

“But didn’t you say having short hair is convenient?” Zuzu recalled.

“Well… Yeah,” Rin replied. “But since Celina is trying out a new style, I want to do the same and grow out my hair.”

“Well it does look like your hair is bit longer,” Lulu pointed out. “So go for it.”

Rin nodded at Lulu’s suggestion. Starting tonight, she decided to grow out her hair. During that time, she can learn from her XYZ counterpart how to take care of it in order to maintain its lusciousness and keep it healthy, try out different styles for various special occasions, and determine which brand of shampoo and conditioner works best. With Celina cutting her hair short to break free from her old life, Rin figured having her hair longer will be a sign of her starting a new life of her own.


	10. A Duelist's Skill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Yugo, Rin, Crow, and Shinji, it's another day for working on the new Duel Runner and testing out dueling strategies. But during a practice duel, Rin discovers the true nature behind her new marking...

“And then he had the nerve to call my Speedroids weak toys!”

“Can you hand me a wrench?”

“That swirly-haired jerk thinks he’s sooo great with Ancient Gear cards! They don’t even look like Ancient Gear monsters!”

“Are you gonna help me, or…?”

“I swear, the next time I see him, I’ll shove my fist into his face! That outta show him!”

“Yugo, wre-”

“Cardfighters are the wor-”

Fed up with Yugo’s rant, Rin leaned over and kissed his lips without taking her eyes off the Duel Runner. With the Team Duel Tournament approaching, Cardfighters have been showing up more frequently across the Original Dimension. In a way, it was understandable why the Clear Wing-eyed Synchro user was upset. His squabble with one of said Cardfighters really put him in a bad mood. Good thing he had something else on his mind thanks to Rin.

Ultimately the two parted. “Now will you shut up?” Rin asked.

But Yugo was love-struck. “That was our first kiss…” he realized.

Rin rolled her eyes. “Just hand me the wrench, you moron,” she repeated.

Now sidetracked from ranting, Yugo handed the wrench to Rin, using it to tighten the bolts. After the mishap with the engine, she and the rest of the Synchro crew wasted no time with fixing the Duel Runner and adding modifications to make it battle-proof. Crow and Shinji were looking at the blueprints and the constructing Runner to see if there were any more parts that may be included. Rin soon wiped off any sweat that may have formed on her forehead after she finished tightening the last bolt.

“Not bad!” Shinji remarked. “It looks just like Yugo’s previous Duel Runner.”

“Then what are these blueprints for?” Crow asked, revealing blueprints for a completely different Duel Runner.

“Oh, those?” Rin asked. “They’re for my own Duel Runner.”

She explained how her Duel Runner will look different from Yugo’s and how it have a design based off of Crystal Bell. So far, its color scheme will be white and purple with purple crystals. She planned on drawing out and listing more parts to deduce which ones will work best for the design before finalizing the blueprints. Despite Crystal Bell being a corrupted version of Winter Bell, Rin knows there is true beauty within the card, so using it as inspiration for her Duel Runner was an indicator. She also figured that she should build one of her own since she won’t have to share one with Yugo.

“This looks pretty cool,” Yugo complimented, looking at the blueprints. “You really know how to bring out the best in everything.”

“Yep,” Rin agreed. “Even hot-headed Turbo Duelists with loud and rude behaviors.”

It took Yugo a few seconds to realize who Rin was referring to. “Hey, wait a minute!”

Rin let out a small laugh and gave Yugo another kiss. “But I still love you,” she said.

Yugo blushed at Rin’s second kiss. Usually, he would say that he prefers being called “energetic and short-tempered”, but not this time. Ever since his sleepover with Rin, he was gradually improving on his behavior… Well, he still has his moments here and there, such as his rant, but at least he’s trying his hardest to take Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri’s advice seriously. Obviously not become a different version of himself like last time, but applying it to good use. It was actually quite amazing to be in love with a tomboy… Is she a tomboy?

A few moments later, the Synchro crew went on their break. They decided to pass the time by playing a couple rounds of Duel Monsters. Right now, Yugo and Crow were spectating Shinji’s duel against Rin, who was about to start her turn.

“Nice Battle Wasps,” Rin said. “But let’s see if you can face my icy spells!” She drew a card. “Since I summoned Windwitch - Ice Bell on my previous turn, I think I’ll summon a second one to join her on my field! So you lose another 500 life points!”

Ice Bell’s effect deducted Shinji’s LP by 500 before Rin continued with her turn.

“Now that I have my two Ice Bells, I can bring out Windwitch - Snow Bell to tune them together!” Rin continued. “Midwinter wind, make ice and snow my power and appear in all your wintertime glory! I Synchro Summon Windwitch - Winter Be- What the?!”

Rin noticed her En Winds marking starting to glow on her left hand just as she was about to Synchro Summon Winter Bell. She wasn’t the only one because Shinji, Crow, and Yugo also saw the light green glow, leaving them a little shocked. Unlike her counterparts, who didn’t quickly learn what their markings did when they performed a distinct special summon since they were on body parts they easily can’t see, she was the only one who caught on to her marking reacting during a duel. At least they all managed to get a bit of an understanding of what was going on.

“Why is my hand glowing?!” Rin asked, alarmed. “Why is my hand glowing?!”

Shinji was concerned about Rin’s freak out. “Should we call it a draw?” he asked, ready to take his deck out of his Duel Disk.

“No!” Rin blurted out. “I-I Synchro Summon Windwitch - Winter Bell!”

Winter Bell appeared on Rin’s side of the field while the apple green-haired girl was still alarmed by the current situation. Her ace has two effects that either can be used once per turn. By targeting one of her Windwitches from her Graveyard, she can inflict damage to her opponent equal to the target’s level x 200. She can also target a Windwitch she controls to special summon a monster with a Level less than or equal to the target’s Level, but it isn’t allowed to attack during that turn. Desperately trying to find a way to get rid of the glowing marking, Rin chose Winter Bell’s first effect.

“I activate Winter Bell’s special ability!” Rin announced. “By targeting one of my two Ice Bells, you lose 600 life points!”

Winter Bell took out 600 of Shinji’s LP thanks to her first ability; Rin checked her marking, only to find it still glowing. She would declare an attack, but she figured he endured enough damage for this turn. Besides, it would only prolong the glow if she doesn’t figure out a way to stop it. For now, she stated she’ll end her turn, which caused the light green luminosity to fade away. She was slightly confused as to why ending her turn was the solution to this dilemma, but mostly glad that it was over as she let out a sigh of relief. Shinji and Crow had to ask what that was all about.

“I don’t know!” Rin admitted, looking at her marking. “But it seemed to happen when I Synchro Summoned Winter Bell!”

“Wait… I think I know what’s going on!” Yugo asked.

“Really?” Rin happily asked.

Yugo proceeded to run over to Rin and tightly hug her. “You must be growing out your hair!”

“What?!” Rin asked, surprised at Yugo’s suddenly statement.

“Don’t play dumb with me!” Yugo said, separating from the hug. “Last time I checked, your hair was a half inch shorter. You’re already cute with short hair, but you’ll probably look extra cuter with long hair!”

Where the heck did that idea come from? And how did Yugo spot Rin’s slightly longer hair? Regardless, it had nothing to do with her marking, but Crow and Shinji also remembered seeing her hair shorter. They never noticed until now although their reactions were slightly delayed than Yugo’s. Rin was pleased that her friends were thrilled with her growing hair, but she needed to figure out why her marking glowed when she Synchro Summoned.

After calming down, she looked at her marking on her left hand, deducing the cause of what happened less than a minute ago. She knows she’s one of Ray’s four reincarnations, specifically her Synchro reincarnation, “created” by the En Winds Natural Energy Card. A theorization quickly struck her; when Ray was split a second time, she was given her respective Natural Energy marking, with the same applying to her counterparts, on a certain body part to help symbolize their main personality trait. Maybe that’s what the reason behind the light green glow during her turn.

Rin clenched her left fist. “That’s why my marking is on my hand,” she realized.

“What?” Shinji asked as he drew a card to indicate he was starting his turn.

“I’ll explain later!” Rin said.

With that said, everyone focused back to the duel as Shinji began his turn. Although he lost Life Points thanks to Rin’s Windwitches’ effects, she didn’t attack him. This was perfect for him to swarm his side of the field with his Battlewasps to Synchro Summon his ace, decrease Winter Bell’s ATK/DEF, and use his burn strategy. Looking at his cards, he made his move.

“I’ll activate the Spell card Revival Swarm to recover Azura the Spirit Bow from your attack!” Shinji said. “Beat your wings, bring your sting, unite and fight! I Synchro Summon Battlewasp - Hama the Conquering Bow!”

Hama has an effect where it can attack a second time during each Battle Phase, which can be determined if Shinji activates its other two effects: if battle damage was inflicted, he can target one of his opponent’s monster to make it lose ATK equal to the battle damage until the end of the Battle Phase; however, if no battle damage was inflicted, he can deal damage for every Battlewasp in his Graveyard x 300 to his opponent. He knew what he will do for this turn.

Shinji used Hama to attack Winter Bell, causing Rin to use her ace’s second ability. Since Hama was Synchro Summoned, she can target Winter Bell to special summon a monster from her hand with a Level less than or equal to the target’s Level, but the summoned monster can’t attack; in other words, she special summoned Windwitch - Glass Bell. Shinji knew she would do that; after Winter Bell was destroyed and Rin lost 400 LP, he activated one of Hama’s effects, resulting in Glass Bell to decrease her ATK from 1500 to 1100. Now he can attack a second time as his ace sent his target to the Graveyard, making Rin lose 1700 LP.

“Hopefully that shouldn’t case too much of a problem,” Shinji said as he concluded his turn.

“It won’t,” Rin said. “During the end of your turn, I activate the Trap card Miracle’s Wake to bring back Winter Bell!”

A portal opened up from the Graveyard as Winter Bell flew out of it and landed on Rin’s side of the field. She then drew a card to indicate the start of her turn.

“And since I have my Winter Bell back, now I can unleash the full power of my icy spells!” Rin continued. “So I’ll start things off with Polymerization, fusing Winter Bell with my Glass Bell! Maiden of snow and ice, become one with the magic of crystals and shed your ragged disguise to reveal the princess within! I Fusion Summon Windwitch - Crystal Bell!”

But the Fusion Summoning was different than the last time Yugo remembered. Instead of emerging from a block of ice, Glass Bell sprinkled Winter Bell with magic, causing her to transform into Crystal Bell in a sparkly display. “RinRin…” the banana-banged Duelist said, completely in awe.

Rin looked what was in her hand while reading Crystal Bell’s effects, in which each can be used once per turn. Her Fusion ace can target a monster in either her Graveyard or Shinji’s, resulting in her gaining the target’s name and effects until her End Phase. If she was destroyed, Rin can special summon Winter Bell and a Level 4 or less Windwitch. After some strategizing, she figured out how to turn the duel in her favor.

Rin raised her left fist. “Now, with the power of the great Northern winds, I will strengthen my Crystal Bell!” she announced.

With a strong wind appearing on Rin’s field, her marking began to glow light green once again as the En Winds symbol appeared on Crystal Bell’s forehead, giving her a 500 ATK boost. Shinji, Crow, and Yugo were left confused on what Rin did and how it even worked on her first try. With the power boost granted, she proceeded to carry out the rest of her strategy for this turn.

“I activate Crystal Bell’s special ability!” Rin said. “With Winter Bell lending her power from the Graveyard, you lose 800 more life points thanks to Glass Bell!”

Crystal Bell, now under the name Winter Bell, dealt 800 points of damage to Shinji. She them initiated her Battle Phase; normally, both her monster and Battlewasp - Hama the Conquering Bow would both be destroyed, but with the ATK boost, Hama gets sent to the Graveyard as Shinji loses 500 more Life Points.

Shinji was baffled. “How did you even do that?!” he asked.

“Through the power of my marking,” Rin answered, showing Shinji the glowing marking on her left fist. “I figured the previous time it glowed meant it has some kind of special power that only triggers when I first Synchro Summon. And since the glowing stopped at the end of my previous turn, it probably works during only my turns.”

A couple minutes after ending her turn, Rin ended up winning the duel. The plans of having a couple duels were dimmed down to one because of her marking, so with their break nearing its end, the Synchro crew discussed about its abilities. They were determining if what happened to her also happens to Zuzu, Lulu, and Celina. Yugo interrupted because he was wondering if his Clear Wing eye color also has a unique special power and if it’s similar to Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri.

“Excuse me?” Rin asked.

“That has to be it!” Yugo insisted. “After Zarc separated, me and the guys had our eye colors changed. And since you and the other girls have special powers connected to the Natural Energy Cards, I probably have a cool power connected to my dragon!” He proceeded to activate his Duel Disk.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Crow asked.

“Just unleashing my cool new dragon powers!” Yugo answered. He proceeded to summon the needed Speedroids for the Synchro Summon. “Beat your wings to whip up a whirlwind of destruction! I Synchro Summon Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!”

Clear Wing flew into the field, bellowing out her roar. Once the Synchro Summon was complete, Yugo suddenly fell to the ground, passing out in the process. A startled Rin, Crow, and Shinji ran over to him; Rin shook his body to help him regain consciousness, but there was no response. She resorted to CPR to revive him; with each failed attempt, the Synchro crew grew more concerned, especially Rin. She didn’t want to end up suddenly losing him…until something else unexpected surprisingly happened.

“Uh… Guys?” Crow asked. “Is it me, or did Clear Wing become more sluggish?”

Shinji and Rin turned around to see that Crow was right. Clear Wing seemed to have gained a sluggish posture; she also rose her head up and looked at her surrounding to get an understanding of what happened. Rin was about to ask the dragon if something was wrong when she stopped moving, almost as if she heard something. With a slight glance over her shoulder, her became happy to see her and flew over to nuzzle her as she growled softly. This left Rin a bit speechless and Crow and Shinji stunned about what Clear Wing was doing.

Rin’s eyes widened. “Did you hear that?” she asked.

“Hear what?” Shinji asked.

“It sounded like Clear Wing said ‘RinRin’,” the mint green-haired girl said. She looked at the dragon. “Yugo?!”

Clear Wing nodded her head, confirming that she was indeed Yugo. Rin, Shinji, and Crow were stupefied at what their Speedroid user did. She placed her hand on her forehead in order to try and comprehend everything. How on earth can a simple Synchro Summon result in something bizarre like that?! Was it due to him having his ace dragon’s eye colors? Was Yugo also given a special power too?

So many questions were flying into Rin’s head that she may needed a moment. Shinji and Crow tried to ask their companion how he ended up in Clear Wing the moment he passed out, but their answer was in growls. Apparently, he can’t speak like a human and can only respond with dragon sounds.

“Hold on,” Crow said. “We can’t understand what you’re saying.” He proceeded to remove Yugo’s deck from the Duel Disk, causing the dragon to disappear as Yugo bolted awake.

“What the heck was that?!” Yugo asked. “How did I end up in Clear Wing’s body?!”

“We’re not sure,” Crow replied. “But apparently you and the other guys can somehow become one with your dragons.”

Yugo became dumbstruck at this revelation. He was having difficulty finding the right words to express how ecstatic he is about having an ability of his own. Rin had to remind him to relax with a smack at the back of his head. He quickly apologized as he rubbed his head, but he knew what he was going to say. He said he’s enthusiastic about discovering his ability, which soon turned into another thought and question. Does Yugo being able to become one with Clear Wing have something to do with Zarc?

“Wait a minute…” Yugo said. “Since Zarc was able to become one with his dragons…” He smiled wide. “Does that mean my new power is the same way?!”

“Probably,” Rin answered.

“This is so cool!” Yugo exclaimed. “I have to tell the others! They’re gonna be so happy!”

It was clear that the powers of both dragon-colored eyes and the Natural Energy markings were becoming the main focus for the Synchro crew. Right as Yugo was about to find his counterparts, he quickly realized their break was over and that they needed to continue with Duel Runner construction. He yelled out a “Dang it” before heading back in the apartment/garage to help out.

Several hours later, the gang decided they were done for today and will continue tomorrow. Crow asked what time is was and Rin answered, after taking a glimpse at the clock, that it was 5:40 PM. It was evening already? Yugo looked outside the window to see the sun was starting to set. He remarked on how time can move so fast when they were busy working. Just then, the sound of a microphone was heard across the city; an important announcement was about to be made.

**“Attention all Duelists. There will be a festival tonight at Heartland Park to promote the upcoming Team Duel Tournament. All Duelists are welcomed to attend and the festival will allow teams to register.”**

Rin’s eyes lit up in utter delight. “A festival?”

“Sweet!” Yugo exclaimed. “We can register our team!”

Yugo and Rin were both excited about the Heartland Park festival tonight. From the sounds of things, it was going to be a more casual event than a formal one, so it makes picking out clothes easier. Crow asked Yugo what he’ll be wearing, with the latter replying he’s fine with what he has on right now…right after mentioning that he needs to wash up. He does have a point; after all the hard work everyone did, they needed to get clean for the festival. As for Rin, she said she’ll shower once she finds nice and comfortable clothes to wear at the city’s local donation center.

“Aww, you don’t have to dress fancy, RinRin,” Yugo said, hugging her from behind. “You’re already adorable.”

“I appreciate the compliment, but I smell like Duel Runner oil,” Rin insisted, but Yugo proceeded to give her multiple cheek kisses.

As Yugo’s kisses made Rin giggle, Crow and Shinji were surprised at her behavior. From what they have seen, she is always tough, hangs out with boys, and typically does stuff guys do. This was the first time they saw her act rather girly. They also could have sworn Yugo said something about shopping and her being a fashionista, but they weren’t sure that was what they heard. They wondered if she really was a tomboy, but they also don’t want to be rude about it; besides, they recently met her. Maybe her boyfriend may know if she’s a tomboy or not.

Shinji cleared his throat, causing the two lovebirds to look at him and Crow. “What?” Rin asked. “Can’t a girl have a moment with her boyfriend?”

“Yeah, but…” Shinji started to say. “Who are you and what have you done with Rin?”

“I’ve known Rin my whole life,” Yugo said, snuggling close to her from behind. “Sure she’s tough, but she’s the cutest and most adorable girl I know.”

Rin let out a small laugh as she pulled away from Yugo. “Okay, that’s enough,” she said, turning to face her boyfriend. “We need to get ready for tonight, so you should go shower.”

“Sure thing, RinRin,” Yugo said. He gave Rin one last kiss before he headed for the bathroom.

While Yugo was taking his shower, Rin visited the donation center. Even after the Original Dimension returned, it was still there. She always went there to get a variety of clothes because she didn’t had a lot of money when she was growing up as an orphan. She and her boyfriend were also saving up to purchase parts for their first Duel Runner. As she was browsing the clothes that were either in boxes or on hangers, she stumbled across a blue-pink strapless sundress. She instantly knew this was perfect to wear for tonight’s festival, but a good outfit isn’t complete without shoes. She headed over to the shoe section to see which goes well with the dress until she spotted a pair of pale pink sandals. Her attire for the Heartland Park festival was found.

“Rin? Is that you?”

Rin knew that voice anywhere. She turned around to see Akiza Izinski, the owner of the donation center. She always loved the days when the Windwitch user stopped by to shop. This was the first time seeing her since the night Yuri abducted her.

“Akiza!” Rin happily exclaimed. “It’s so good to see you again!”

“Where have you been?” Akiza asked. “I haven’t seen you in months.”

“I’ll explain another time when I’m not busy,” Rin said. “Right now I’m getting ready for tonight’s festival.”

“The one at Heartland Park?” Akiza asked. “Say no more. I already have the right accessories for you.”

“Really?” Rin asked.

“Sure,” Akiza answered, bringing her over to the jewelry section. “I got these in this morning and I had a feeling you would like them.”

Rin stared at a pair of light blue rose earrings and a pink rose necklace that were in Akiza’s hand. These were perfect to wear for the festival; she had a little feeling she was forgetting something, so it was a good thing Akiza was there to help.

“Thank you so much, Akiza,” Rin said.

“You’re quite welcome,” Akiza replied. “So why did you chose such a lovely dress?”

“Well, I’m meeting Yugo and-” Rin began.

“Hold on, did you say Yugo?” Akiza asked. “Did you two finally hooked up.”

Rin simply grinned in response, happily nodding. “Then you’re going to need some help,” Akiza said. “Since you’re a great customer, how about I help you with hair and makeup?”

“You would?” Rin happily asked.

“Of course,” Akiza answered. “Anything for a friend.”

As Akiza was preparing to do Rin’s hair and makeup, Crow, Shinji, and Yugo arrived at Heartland Park where the festival was taking place. Booths were all set up—games, food, shopping stands, you name it. The park was also decorated with lights, streamers, balloons, and banners. Yugo commented on how amazing everything looked and how it was going to be a fun night. Crow reminded his Clear Wing-eyed friend that their first order of business was to register for the Team Duel Tournament. Yugo reassured the Blackwing user that he still remembers what they have to do. As they waited, he spotted his counterparts and ran up to tell them about his newfound ability.

“Hey guys!” Yugo exclaimed, running over to his other-dimensional twins. “Glad you could make it. Although…” He paused to muffle a laugh. “Nice monkey suit, Yoot.”

Yuto simply glared at Yugo. “I finished my work at ObsidianCorp before coming here,” the eggplant-haired teen said, explaining why he was wearing his dark grey business suit. “I work there now. Remember?”

“Oh…” Yugo realized. “Right…”

“So what did you want to tell us?” Yuya asked.

“I figured out why our eyes match the eye colors of our dragons,” Yugo explained. “Turns out we can transfer our minds into their bodies, allowing us to actually fight in duels!”

Yuri was intrigued. “Are you saying we become our dragons?” he asked.

“Yep,” Yugo answered.

“So…we can’t speak when we’re in our dragons’ bodies,” Yuri realized.

“Guess not,” Yugo said.

A familiar yet oddly creepy face appeared on Yuri’s face. His eyes went wide and he made an eerily big grin, complete with a rather amusing chuckle. Yuya looked at his Fusion counterpart to see what was so funny when he was stunned silent at his face. It was the exact same face the tomato-haired teen made when his initial plan to register for the Arc League Championship was to duel Zuzu, Frederick, Allie, and Tate. No doubt Yuri was scheming something…

“Alright, what’s going on?” Yuya asked.

“Oh, nothing,” Yuri answered. “I just figured out a loophole in Sora’s ridiculous training methods.”

“What training methods?” Yuto asked.

“He has been taking Dennis and I to someone named Ricardo Soprano for training,” Yuri explained. “Unfortunately part of this training involves me taking part in 'Opera Duels’ in which I am forced to sing all of my moves. Dennis doesn’t seem to mind, but as for me… Well…” He cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed.

Yugo grew curious about why Yuri was embarrassed, which made him slightly annoyed in the process. Yuya and Yuto looked at each other, then back at each other to see their Fusion counterpart increasing in annoyance and embarrassment, and asked if it had anything to do with his voice. Letting out a sigh, he responded “Yes”; he explained that he has a high, “flamboyant” voice, so him trying to sing results in it cracking.

Yugo laughed hysterically. “It’s not funny!” Yuri exclaimed.

Yuto let out a deep chuckle. “It kind of is,” he replied. “If you want, I can give you some vocal lessons.”

“No way!” Yuya exclaimed. “You can sing?”

“Sort of,” Yuto answered. “I often sing to Lulu in private.”

The eggplant-haired blushed a little after finishing that sentence. Whenever he and Lulu were alone at the Obsidian residence, he would sing softly in her ears during cuddles, with a majority of songs being sweet and romantic.

“You sing love ballads to Lulu?” Yuya asked.

“Of course,” Yuto answered, smiling as he adjusted his glasses. “She’s my girl. I’m proud to have fallen in love with her.”

As if on cue, Lulu had showed up and surprised Yuto with a hug from behind. “Guess who?” she playfully asked.

Yuto chuckled as his girlfriend moved to face him, his hands on her waist. “Hey there, beautiful,” he said. He gave her a quick yet loving kiss on the lips.

Yugo scoffed. “So what?” he asked. “I would never act like that with RinRin. She’s cute, but there’s no way I would-”

His sentence was cut off when he saw Rin entering the festival. She wore the sundress and sandals she got at the donation store along with the necklace and earrings Akiza got her. She even had her apple green hair brushed nicely with her mint green side tails clipped back, as well as mascara on her eyelashes and nude lipstick on her lips. In Yugo’s eyes, she looked absolutely adorable.

Feeling a burst of adrenaline, Yugo rushed over to Rin and placed his hand on her hip. “Hey everyone!” he called out, pulling her close. “I’m proud to say this lovely lady is my girlfriend!”

Yugo wasn’t exactly the romantic type, but when he’s in love, he just has to announce it to the whole world, which he just did. After all, he was, how you say, impulsive about his actions; he goes right for it without any thought whatsoever. Everyone looked over at him after he made the announcement, much to Rin’s embarrassment.

Crow and Shinji were both surprised. “Rin?” Shinji asked. “You look different.”

“'Course she’s different,” Yugo said. “This is the real Rin. Just an adorable girl with pretty hair and a cute face.”

Rin blushed heavily. “That’s great…” she said. “But we should really sign up for the tournament.”

“Oh, right,” Yugo said. “Oopsie…”

The Yu-Salad, Lulu, Rin, Crow, and Shinji walked around the festival to find out where the registrations were. They were given directions about its location, and pretty soon, they managed to arrive at the Team Duel Tournament registration booth. They also found their other companions, whom some of them already signed up. Zuzu, Gong, Shay, Sora, and Dennis were waiting for Yuya, Yuto, Lulu, and Yuri respectively so that they can sign their teams up.

“There you guys are,” Shay told Yuto and Lulu. “Did you sneak off somewhere?”

Yuto froze up, but Lulu rolled her eyes. “He’s joking,” she explained.

“'Bout time you got here!” Sora said. “I hope you’re ready for tomorrow’s training.”

“Of course I am,” Yuri said, smiling wide.

“Great!” Dennis said. “Because I finished working on the costumes.”

“What took ya so long, Yuya?” Gong asked.

“Well let’s just say Yugo helped me figure out how to improve my performances,” Yuya replied.

“That’s good to here,” Zuzu said. “Hopefully what he said also helped improve your self-esteem.”

With all that said and done, everyone else began signing up for the tournament. They soon realized that Celina wasn’t here; Zuzu asked where she was until her Fusion counterpart showed up with Sylvio and Aura. Talk about an example of “speak of the devil”. The pink-haired girl wasn’t thrilled to see Aura, mostly because she also had feelings for Yuya ever since her defeat during the Arc League Championship qualifications.

“Oh, quit pouting,” Aura told Zuzu. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out about the truth behind this world? You and Yuya are obviously fated for each other, so that prediction I made must have been a little hiccup.”

Zuzu was surprised to hear that. “What?”

“Declan told me everything that happened,” Aura explained. “If your past selves were destined to meet again in another life, who am I to argue with that kind of fate?”

“She’s not wrong,” Lulu agreed, snuggling close to Yuto. “If it wasn’t for the tiny bit of Zarc and Ray who were in love with each other, I wouldn’t have found true love.”

Was this Aura’s way of accepting Zuzu and Yuya’s relationship with each other? It sure sounded that way; besides, what she and Lulu said about Zarc and Ray was true. Zarc was a huge Ray fanboy and even developed feelings for her, resulting in those feelings being passed down to Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo. There was also an emotion deep down within Ray’s small ego that was in love with the former champion, leading to Zuzu, Lulu, and Rin sharing that same trait. The pink-haired girl learned about this information the Ritual user was telling her and how right she and Declan were. With a nod of her head, it officially meant the two girls were now on good terms with each other.

Rin suddenly remembered the duel she had earlier and how Yugo told his counterparts about their new abilities. She asked Zuzu, Lulu, and Celina if their markings ended up glowing during their duels, with all of them saying “Yes”. The Bracelet Girls mentioned how they ended up glowing whenever they perform a Synchro, Pendulum, XYZ, and Fusion Summon with their archetypes accordingly, but Rin indicated that there’s more. She discovered during her duel with Shinji that she can give her monsters an ATK boost through her En Winds marking during her turns, which fascinated the other three girls.

“That sounds pretty cool!” Zuzu said.

“I’m not sure…” Celina admitted. “That sounds a bit like cheating.”

A newly-discovered power and Celina may have pointed out its biggest flaw. The other girls wondered if they’ll get accused of cheating for making their monsters stronger like when Yuya was initially called a cheater for using his Pendulum cards. Rin glanced over at Yugo, who was with the others, and thought about his ability. If the Yu-Salad Boys merged their minds with their dragons, would they be accused of cheating too? She then recalled the discussion she had with the Synchro boys and how Crow pieced together what her marking can do. From the sound of things, he described it as her “Skill”. They never heard of a Skill before, but Rin said that it was basically an ability that can either be used once per turn. If that’s the case, then could the boys’ mind merges with their dragons be their Skill too? Regardless, they may have to tell Declan about it to see what he thinks.

Speaking of Declan, he overheard the girls’ conversation. “What’s this about Skills?” he asked.

“I think that’s what this is,” Rin guessed as she and the other Bracelet Girls showed Declan their markings. “We got them when Ray separated a second time.”

Declan looked at Rin’s marking. “The symbol for En Winds,” he recalled. “And it seems you got them in place of your bracelets.”

The four girls all agreed that this was their bracelets’ replacement. At the same time, they wondered if Declan has seen and heard of Skills before, so they explained to him what their markings can do. They even mentioned the Yu-Salad’s ability to become one with their summoned dragons if they concentrated hard enough. These bits of information intrigued the gray-haired teen.

“Fascinating…” Declan said. “So it seems that when Zarc and Ray left this world, they gave each of you a special power. Perhaps these powers are to serve as reminders for who you once were and how you are connected to one another.”

“But is it cheating?” Celina asked.

“It isn’t as long as you use your powers as basic Skills,” Declan explained. “A lot of Duelists have started to use Skills of their own, so you should be able to fit in.”

They were relieved to hear that. From the power boosts to the mind merges, the eight boys and girls now had the opportunity to practice their skills starting tomorrow. With the signs up complete, the Yu-Salad, the now called Energy Girls, and their friends spent the rest of the night enjoying the festival. Declan asked the person at the registration booth how the sign up went, with him responding that it went well and a total of 36 Duelists and a stand-in have signed up to participate. That means there will be 12 teams competing, 7 of which are known: Team Smiles (Yuya, Zuzu, and Gong), Team Noble (Yuto, Lulu, and Shay), Team Turbo (Yugo, Rin, and Crow with Shinji as the stand-in), Team Obelisk (Yuri, Sora, and Dennis), Team Lancer (Celina, Sylvio, and Aura), Team You Show (Frederick, Allie, and Tate), and Team Ace (Dipper, Julia, and Kit). Even though the tournament is in a few weeks, each day brings everyone one step closer to the big event, so they’ll have to practice their strategies and learn how the Team Duel rules work in order to prepare themselves for the grand day.


	11. Predaplant Metamorphosis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the wake of Celina's new look and life, Yuri decides to change his own image and dueling style to impress her.

“Polymerizatiooooooooooooon!”

The next day, Team Obelisk was practicing their Opera Duels with Ricardo Soprano. They didn’t tell the others why they had to train with him because they wanted it to be a surprise. It was part of their new Dueltaining style…in a way. They have plans on doing an introduction and what better way to prepare for it than take part in Opera Duels.

They were basically like Action Duels except the duel field was a theater and it causes their clothes to change to help fit the duel. Another requirement is the Duelists have to sing their moves, which was no big deal for Dennis and Sora. They both have decent singing voices and Sora had some experience with Opera Duels when he was qualifying for the Arc League Championship. Yuri, on the other hand, was a different story; he explained to his counterparts how his high, “flamboyant” voice cracks whenever he sings last night. Today, he was trying different tactics to sing as little as possible. What he just did was an example of it: he’s singing very few words whenever it was his turn. As long as he’s following the rules of Opera Duels, no one will notice what he’s trying to do.

Yuri continued his turn as he clasped his hands together. “Fuuusiooon!” he sang out loud.

“Wait a minute…” Sora said. Then he looked alarmed. “Yuri, what do you think you’re doing?!”

Sora looked on as he watched Yuri Fusion Summon Starving Venom Fusion Dragon. He knows his friend normally saves his ace for later on in the duel, but this wasn’t like him. He wondered what the Predaplant user was planning and how it would affect their training.

After successfully summoning his dragon, Yuri laughed and activated his newly-learned power. It was time for him to see if what Yugo said really was true. Starving Venom let out his roar as his owner underwent the mind merge, with his body soon fainting and falling on the ground. This left Sora shocked and silent; even Dennis and Ricardo were speechless at what Yuri just did. They all became worried if he was going to be okay.

“Uh… Does your friend normally pass out during duels?” Ricardo asked.

“No, he doesn’t,” Sora explained. “But something’s up.” He grabbed Yuri by his jacket uniform. “If you think pretending you passed out is your way of trying to weasel out of Opera Duels, it’s not working!”

Sora slowly let go of Yuri’s uniform upon suddenly hearing the sound of repressed laughter. He asked Ricardo and Dennis if they knew where it was coming from, only for them to point at Starving Venom. He looked to see the dragon trying his hardest not to laugh, but when he saw Sora and the unconscious Yuri, he ultimately cracked up. This was clearly unlikely of it to be behaving like that, but the three Duelists recognized the laugh. Albeit the dragon growls, it sounded just like the cabbage-haired Fusion user’s laugh. They were still processing what happened, but they haven’t caught on that his plan worked. Now nothing will stand in his way of taking part in Opera Duels, let alone sing his moves; he always thought they were ridiculous ever since he started training.

“Something doesn’t sound right,” Dennis said. “First Yuri passes out, then his dragon starts acting like him.”

“Yeah,” Sora agreed. “Unless…”

As Sora was determining what Yuri just did, Ricardo pointed out that Starving Venom was glaring at one of his Opero Stars, almost as if he was preparing to attack it. With a single roar, he activated his effect, gaining ATK equal to the special summoned Opero Star - Specter Soloist. Now it was ready for the Battle Phase; he expanded his wings, preparing to shoot out multiple cyan lasers when he suddenly stopped, as if he was starting to think about something…or someone. In Ricardo, Sora, and Dennis’ eyes, all they saw was the dragon stopping midway through the Battle Phase and not continuing, baffling them even more.

“Uh… Hello?” Sora asked Starving Venom. “Are you gonna attack?”

In a fit of rage, the Fusion Dragon punched the ground, which was basically a “No” for Sora’s question. The force of the punch was strong enough to not only leave a huge dent on the duel field stage, but it also sent a small shockwave through the ground. They needed to figure what the dragon’s deal was and why he’s behaving so strangely.

Suddenly, Starving Venom stopped moving as Yuri bolted awake. “What does he have that I don’t?!” he angrily asked.

Yuri waking up scared Sora and Dennis a little, now with a few more questions they have to answer. When did this issue suddenly become about “him”? Who is the cabbage-haired teen referring to? What did “he” do to make him angry? Once they managed to relax after the sudden scare, they resumed figuring out what was up with Starving Venom and their friend, how the dragon had s owner’s mannerisms, and why he is upset—no, jealous about “him”. Eventually, they figured out his backfired plan. A plan that would have gone smoothly if it weren’t for his abrupt jealousy.

"Wait a minute…” Sora said. “You tried to use your Duel Skill to weasel out of the Opera Duel!”

“Do you mind?!” Yuri snapped. “I must figure out why Miss Celina would fall for that Sawatari person!”

Wait, is he talking about Sylvio? Did Yuri saw him with Celina yesterday night? If so, then what did he do to make him upset? Just when Sora and Dennis answered something, more question keep popping up in their heads. If the situation keeps up, they’ll never be ready for the Team Duel Tournament.

Dennis patted Yuri on the back, causing the cabbage-haired teen to look at him with tear-brimmed neon green eyes. “Do you want to talk about it?” the redhead asked.

“I saw Miss Celina yesterday,” Yuri explained after calming down a bit. “But she looked different. Not only did she cut her hair, but she was smiling. I do enjoy irritating her, but her smiles seem to make her prettier. I wondered what had caused her to change, but I soon realized it must have been because of Sylvio.”

Yuri believed that Sylvio must have won her over; he wasn’t sure how, but he’s certain those Pendulum cards were involved in it. What he was saying revealed to be a love confession: he admitted that he does have feelings for Celina, so in a way, the Synchro crew was right. He enjoyed teasing her and making her annoyed, but in actuality, he wanted her to be more than his rival, friend, or teammate; he just wanted a girlfriend. Last night was an obvious indicator and it wasn’t because of Team Lancer showing, but Yugo had to announce to the entire festival that he’s dating Rin, which didn’t help his problem.

Yuri let out a frustrated sigh. “If only there was some way to show Miss Celina how special I am.” He took his deck out of his Duel Disk to search through his cards. “How am I supposed to woo her…?”

As he searched through his deck, he saw a very familiar monster. It was Predaplant Banksiogre; he was surprised to see that Tuner monster didn’t change back to normal after the second separation. He figured being exposed to Clear Wing Synchro Dragon for too long caused the change to remain permanent. All of a sudden, an idea popped in his head on how he can win Celina over.

“That moron’s a genius!” Yuri exclaimed, holding Banksiogre up in the air. “My beloved Predaplant, you shall be the key to Miss Celina’s heart! Come, my friends! We must go to Card Craze this instant!”

Sora cleared his throat, reminding Yuri about the Opera Duel. “Right…” the cabbage-haired Duelist said, placing his deck back in his Duel Disk. “We’ll go to Card Craze after our training.”

“And you better not try to use your Skill this time!” Sora exclaimed.

After they finished another day of training, with Yuri not using his Skill this time, he, Sora, and Dennis returned to Card Craze. He wanted to see if there are any Tuner and Synchro Predaplants available as part of his new plan. In all honesty, this was better than the last one. He may have not used his Skill for the rest of the Opera Duel, but he still can’t tolerate his inability to sing. He was hoping this will all be worth it once his singing voice improves before the tournament.

As the Obelisk trio entered the card store, they instantly noticed how it wasn’t as packed as it was when the booster sale was going on. It looked more like an average day at Card Craze, which was perfect for Yuri. The last thing he needed was to have trouble maneuvering through a crowd of Duelists. The three decided to search all over the store to see where the Tuner and Synchro Predaplants were; they searched, scanned, and skimmed through different cards based on archetype, type, Synchros, and Tuners. They barely found a few, but is it enough for Yuri to woo Celina? Looks like they might need help.

“I see…” Yuri said, looking at the three plant Synchro monsters Sora and Dennis managed to find. “So these are the only ones that would work with my Predaplants?”

“We asked the store manager for help,” Dennis said. “But it seems there are no plans to make Synchro Predaplants.”

Yuri continued to look at the three Synchro monsters he currently had; they seemed out-of-place from his Predaplants. These three monsters were Queen of Thorns, Splendid Rose, and Aromaseraphy Rosemary. Despite their stats and effects, he wasn’t sure if he was okay with getting them until he noticed Splendid Rose’s artwork. There was something about her that he couldn’t help but stare at it, specifically her uniform. He can clearly picture himself wearing it and being noble and handsome as he’s winning Celina’s heart. Sora and Dennis could tell from Yuri’s awestruck face that he may be satisfied with what they managed to find at the store.

“Why, yes, Miss Celina,” Yuri muttered, too lost in his fantasy. “You can marry me.”

“Uh… Yuri?” Sora asked. “You feeling okay?”

Yuri snapped out of his fantasy. “I’m more than merely okay, my friend,” he said. “In fact, not only will these three cards work in my deck, but I am due for a new image. Once I purchase these cards, we’re off to the nearest clothing store!”

“What a great idea, Yuri,” Dennis said. “You could use a new outfit and maybe a new hairstyle.”

It was actually really smart of Yuri to reinvent his image. After all, Celina is always mentioning about how his looks are as ugly as his personality, but not for long. Once he’s done going through this makeover, she’ll realize that this won’t be the same Yuri and will prefer him over Sylvio.

He, Dennis, and Sora paid for the three Synchro cards and soon went to the first clothing store they can find. Their main goal was to find an outfit that screams nobility, handsomeness, charm, and retains his interest in plants. They searched so many clothes to see what goes together and meets their priorities, but this was also a bit easier said than done. They picked out a good handful for Yuri to try on, as well as mix and match. As he was in the progress of putting on the next set of clothes, Dennis and Sora were sitting outside the fitting room, talking about if one of the employees can help.

“You want to know if we have this in purple?” the employee asked, referring to a t-shirt with vines printed on the front.

“Yeah,” Sora answered. “It’s for a friend.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” the employee said.

While the employee browsed through a selection of shirts to help find the short Sora and Dennis were looking for, Yuri looked at himself in the mirror in one of the changing stalls he was in. He was figuring out what kind of hairstyle he should go for. He pushed his hair back, thinking if he would look good with bangs; a plus side to this is they can help cover his eyebrows…sort of. This thought occurred to him because he usually combed his bangs back while he was growing up at Duel Academy. He wasn’t entirely sure, but he also wanted to try it out.

“Hmm…” Yuri mused, finger-combing his usually-neat hair. “Would I look better with bangs…?”

After a few minutes of careful consideration, he soon realized that having bangs would be a better fit. Besides, since he was getting new clothes, a new haircut was also necessary when it comes to changing an appearance. With his decision made, Yuri resumed trying on the different clothes; he then became curious about how Sora and Dennis’ search was going.

“Hey Yuri!” Sora called out from outside the changing stall. “We found something for you!”

“What is it?” Yuri asked.

Upon putting on one of the shirts, Sora showed Yuri a lightish-blue T-shirt that say “I WISH YOU WERE AS INTERESTING AS MY PLANTS” on the front. He explained that it was a little hard to find, but it was worth it; as an added bonus, this shirt was in his size. The cabbage-haired teen’s eyes lit up while surveying the quality of it. He immediately tried it out and later said that it was definitely a must-have. His candy-loving friend knew he would love that shirt and asked what style he should go for; he hasn’t thought about it until now, but he was thinking about a more casual look. Sora replied that he may know what else he can wear.

With some help from Dennis, the two picked out a few pants and pairs of shoes Yuri can experiment with. The trio soon settled on black jeans and dark blue sneakers. With his new attire officially made, Yuri put on his normal clothes as his friends returned the clothes he tried on and paid for the ones they were keeping. As they all left the clothing store, they discussed about a new haircut that the Predaplant user had in mind.

“Are you sure you want bangs?” Dennis asked. “I never really thought you could pull it off.”

“Neither did I,” Yuri admitted. “But I suppose it would help cover some rather unappealing features.”

“Like the bushy eyebrows that should probably get waxed?” Sora casually asked.

“Precisely-” Yuri started to say. “What do you mean waxed?”

Sora laughed. “I’m just messin’ with ya,” he admitted.

Yuri chuckled in amusement as he playfully punched Sora in the shoulder. “You really are quite a trickster,” he said.

“But in all honesty, you should try having bangs,” Sora said. “The cabbage hair is kinda iconic for you, but it doesn’t really look attractive.”

“I thought so,” Yuri said. “Perhaps that’s why my counterparts were able to get girlfriends before me.”

Yuri wasn’t wrong; Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo all have bangs and they ended up with Zuzu, Lulu, and Rin. Hopefully, getting bangs will increase his chances of winning Celina. He and his friends all headed to the local barber shop, where he requested to have a hairstyle that has his hair pushed back and included bangs. While that was getting done, Sora and Dennis sat down on a couch, with the Shaddoll user taking a look at a few magazines. The first one he picked caught his attention.

“Duelist’s Weekly?” Dennis read, seeing Declan on the cover with an unfamiliar teen.

Sora noticed the magazine. “Who’s the blue-haired guy?” he asked. “I never saw a Duelist like him.”

Dennis picked up the magazine and opened it to the featured article. “He’s not,” he said. “His name is Aichi Sendou and he’s a Cardfighter. It seems he was that CEO Declan talked to.”

The featured article covered the conversation Aichi and Declan had a few days ago and how they agreed to make Team Duels legal to play in tournaments as a way to promote teamwork and trust among Duelists after the Interdimensional War. Sora and Dennis knew about that, but as they continued to read, it also covered on how it recently led to an increased rivalry between Duelists and Cardfighters. They weren’t surprised about that because Rin and Yugo explained about how the banana-banged Duelist had a rough encounter with a Cardfighter and he ranted about it. Despite that, they continued reading the article and conversed about their opinions on it.

“Whoa!” Sora said. “It look like the Cardfighters had their own problems two years ago.”

“No kidding,” Dennis agreed. “It seems they had to deal with some kind of hypnotic virus called Link Joker, causing families and friends to turn against each other.”

“Guess Duelists and Cardfighters aren’t as different as we thought,” Sora realized.

Meanwhile, while the two were discussing about the article they read, Yuri was done with getting his hair cut. Upon looking himself at the mirror, he was surprised at the results. He was clearly not the same Yuri he was before; he practically looked like a different person.

“My god…” Yuri said, surprised by the results. “Is this really me?”

Looking at his reflection, his new hairstyle was much like how he requested it. Most of his purple and magenta hair was pushed back, leaving a few thin streaks and a thick, purple streak separated from the rest, but also flowing in the same direction. His bangs were split into three sections: one on his forehead and two on the sides that don’t completely cover his eyebrows. The barber asked Yuri what his opinion is on the haircut he received.

“Are you alright?” the barber had asked.

After a few more seconds of stunned silence, Yuri smiled softly. “Of course,” he answered. “I feel like a new person. Thank you.”

The barber answered “You’re welcome” to Yuri before he got off from the chair. Sora and Dennis spotted his new hairstyle and were amazed at how it looked. He was a little flattered at their compliments, but managed to maintain his composure as he paid for his haircut. As they left, Sora mentioned to Yuri about a featured article he and Dennis read on Duelist’s Weekly. He gave him the nutshell of it since virtually everyone knows about it, but what he _really_ wanted to tell him was the name of the CEO of Vanguard Association and how Cardfighters had to deal with this Link Joker virus two years ago.

“I see…” Yuri said. “So this Aichi Sendou person had to deal with a virus that was spreading among Cardfighters.”

Sora nodded in response. “That must be why he told Declan about the Vanguard Tournaments,” he said. “He probably felt bad about both Duelists and Cardfighters going through their own issues, so he wanted him to know there was a way to restore trust among Duelists.”

“How interesting,” Yuri said. “Perhaps our new Dueltaining style will entertain both crowds. Hopefully none of the Lancers start jumping to conclusions before- Why are there so many girls looking at me?”

The girls noticed Yuri’s new hairstyle, and from the looks of things, they really like it. He was obviously not used to this amount of attention, let alone female attention. When he was growing up at Duel Academy, people avoided him because of how immensely strong, skillful, and talented he was. Sora and Dennis also looked at the audience their friend formed; although impressed, they were more concerned about them becoming a love-struck, fangirlish mob.

“Don’t worry, Yuri,” Dennis said as he and Sora activated their Duel Disks. “We have your back.”

“Yeah!” Sora agreed. “If these girls want to see you, they have to get past us first.”

“Thank you,” Yuri said, also activating his Duel Disk. “But I refuse to let my friends duel without me.”

With their Duel Disks ready, the Obelisk trio were about to engage in a three-on-crowd Battle Royale…or so they thought. They were too busy jumping to conclusions that they didn’t notice that most of the girls don’t have Duel Disks. Once they realized it, things went a tad bit humiliating for them.

“Oh…” Yuri said, realizing the non-Duelists that were present. “I apologize.” He and his friends deactivated their Duel Disks.

“Sorry about that, everyone!” Sora exclaimed. “My friend here is new to this kind of attention, so if you could just give him some space, that will be great!”

The female non-Duelists gave Yuri the space he needed as he, Sora, and Dennis headed back to Duel Academy. Well technically, Yoko adopted Sora, so he told his friends he’ll see them tomorrow before taking a different direction to the Sakaki household. Later, it was close to evening and the two made it to their shared dorm. With them being former members of the Obelisk Force and still students at Duel Academy, Yuri, Dennis, and Sora are still considered Obelisk Blue students, but with the light blue-haired teen now living with the Sakakis, the dorm was shared by the other two Fusion users.

Now that Yuri obtained three Synchro monsters, bought new clothes, and got a new hairstyle, when will it be time to initiate his plan to win Celina’s heart? He leaned against the dorm’s wall in deep thought when Dennis’ voice snapped him out of it, startling him a little in the process.

“Are you alright?” Dennis asked.

“Sort of,” Yuri admitted. “I’m worried that Miss Celina won’t like the new me. I really want to make amends for the wrong I have done, but what if it’s all a waste?”

“Don’t say that,” Dennis encouraged. “You won’t be sure if it would work unless you see it for yourself.” He gave Yuri the shopping bag containing his new outfit.

“You are right,” Yuri said, accepting the bag from Dennis. “What would I ever do without you?”

Yuri went into the bathroom to change into his new clothes. Several seconds later, he revealed the complete attire to Dennis, who really liked it a lot. Looking at the bathroom mirror, he was impressed with how he looked. He was also starting to slowly go through a personality change, becoming more compassionate while also maintaining an ego.

“Not bad,” Dennis said. “Certainly better than your uniform.”

“Indeed,” Yuri agreed. “I have become quite a hottie.”

Dennis was surprised by that comment; Yuri has never used “hottie” before in his life. He asked Yuri if he was alright, with the latter responding that he’s fine yet admittedly felt a tad bit strange. He wondered if this was either part of his plan or if he is becoming a different person.

“It must be the new look,” Yuri suspected. “It seems to make me feel like a new person.”

“You don’t mind?” Dennis asked.

“Of course not,” Yuri answered. “This is the new and improved me. This new leaf I have turned is bound to work.”

Suddenly, Yuri heard the sound of a growling stomach. He turned around to see it was coming from Dennis. Placing his hand where his stomach is, the Shaddoll user commented that he was starting to get hungry. They should probably eat dinner in a bit; Yuri went back into the bathroom to change into his usual uniform. Once that was done, the two left the dorm and made their way towards the dining hall where all the Obelisk Blue students gathered to eat. Today was generally enjoyable for the trio, but the Predaplant user was hoping it will be worth it once he puts his plan into action.


	12. The Knight of Obsidian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever since Yuto moved in with the Obsidians, he has gotten used to his new life among the rich and elite. However, certain memories keep popping up, and poor Yoot can't keep it in anymore...

“GOOD MORNING, MISTRESS LULU. SHALL I PREPARE YOUR MORNING TEA?”

Lulu woke up to the sound of Lillybot’s robotic voice. It was the start of another day at the Obsidian residence. She rubbed her eyes and yawned as she wasn’t fully awake yet while answering “Yes” to having her morning tea made. Lillybot acknowledged her response and left her bedroom to head to the kitchen.

Her eyes and then her whole head shifted towards Yuto, who was still asleep. He was snuggled up next to her, with his head on top of where her heart is located. His bangs were flatter than usual, almost covering his eyes, but Lulu didn’t mind that. She thought he looked adorable with bed head. She stroked his hair with her fingers, waking him up in the process.

“Morning beautiful…” Yuto muttered, snuggling close to Lulu.

Lulu smiled softly. “Morning,” she replied, still stroking her boyfriend’s hair.

Yuto got up and covered his mouth as he let out a big yawn; he must have slept really well last night. He headed to the bathroom to shower and get ready for school and then work. Turning on the sink, he cupped his hands together as water poured out from the faucet, filling it up. He splashed it on his face to help wake him up. He looked at his reflection to see his hair was flatter than usual. Hopefully, a shower will help; he stepped into the bathtub to wash up, using the Obsidians’ shampoo and conditioner brand instead of Spike and Curl. He was aware that he wasn’t using his usual brand ever since he started living with them, but the only problem is their shampoo and conditioner doesn’t work well with spiky hair.

After his shower, it was Lulu’s turn, but she noticed something was bothering him. She asked him what was wrong and he explained about the shampoo crisis he’s going through.

“Let me see…” Lulu said. She checked the shampoo bottle. “What’s wrong with FeatherSoft? It helps keep hair silky soft.”

“Except that doesn’t work for me,” Yuto explained, gesturing to his flat, non-spiky hair. “Spike and Curl is for maintaining naturally spiky hair. Do you have anything similar to that?”

“I don’t think so,” Lulu answered. “I’m not sure what mother and father use, but I do know Shay uses a shampoo brand called Flakeless due to his dandruff problem.”

Yuto groaned. This was not his morning; knowing how wealthy the Obsidians are, they are more likely to buy the more expensive brands than the cheaper ones. He also initially thought using their shampoo and conditioner would work, but it was proven time after time that it doesn’t, much to his disappointment. He sighed, thanking Lulu for the help. She responded with “You’re welcome” yet she felt awful for her boyfriend. There has got to be a shampoo brand similar to Spike and Curl. Looks like she has some searching to do later on today.

While Lulu was showering, Yuto got ready for go to Heartland Duel School. Whenever he sees his flat bangs in his reflection, he is reminded of his past self. The shy, timid, outcast kid whose only friends were his Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon and his mom. Mom… That word echoed in his brain the longer he stared at himself, constantly reminding him of the terrible tragedy that struck on the night of the Invasion. It was the last thing he ever said to her before she passed away. He bit his lip, trying to fight back any tears that may be forming when a robotic voice snapped him out of his trance. It was Lillybot, bringing Lulu her morning tea like she requested.

“YOUR MORNING TEA IS READY,” Lillybot said. “PLEASE REMEMBER TO SIP IT SLOWLY.”

With perfect timing, Lulu got back from her shower with a towel wrapped around her hair and a robe. “Thanks Lillybot,” she said, taking the tea from her former nursemaid.

As Lulu sat by her vanity to enjoy her morning tea, she noticed Yuto looked upset. “Are you feeling alright?” she asked.

As Yuto was in the middle of getting dressed, he heard his girlfriend’s voice and said he’s was fine when he actually wasn’t. He didn’t want to worry her with what was running through his head; they should rather focus on today because that’s what was more important right now.

“Alright,” Lulu said, sounding rather concerned. “But you don’t sound fine.”

“I am,” Yuto insisted as he put on his glasses. He was wearing a black t-shirt with dark blue jeans and black sneakers, his dark grey business suit already in his backpack.

After finishing her tea, Lulu also got dressed for school. She had her hair tied up in pigtails with wing-shaped hair clips securing them in place. She also wore a knee-length, pink dress with darker pink polka dots on it. Recently, she began wearing dresses that expose her marking while also making sure they cover her cleavage at the same time; the dress she was wearing was an example of it. After putting on her pale pink heels, she and Yuto then left the bedroom to grab a quick bite for breakfast and leave for school, with Lillybot bringing the cup and plate to the kitchen sink.

The two, having already ate their breakfast, made it to Heartland Duel School for another day of learning about duels and honing their skills against students from the different branches. So far, the first half was going alright for Yuto. Even though he paid attention to the lessons, his flat hair was rather distracting as he was restraining himself not to get caught up with fixing it. Sometimes his light purple bangs kept blocking his eyes and glasses, making it difficult for him to see. He wondered how he was able to manage a hairstyle like this as a kid.

During lunch, he met up with Lulu, Kite, Sarah, and Alex on the school’s fenced rooftop. They discussed about what’s been going on and if they had any upcoming plans, but Yuto couldn’t resist listening to a story from his Clover Branch friends. They always had some interesting—and occasionally crazy—stories to share every day.

“So I’m hanging from the side of a helicopter, my Duel Disk is on the fritz, and nearly half of my deck is in my backpack on the ground below me,” Alex said. “Then suddenly…” He paused himself when he noticed Yuto. “You feeling alright, Yuto?”

“What?” Yuto asked. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Sarah asked, voicing concern. “Your hair looks flat. Did you get a black eye?”

“Not quite,” Kite answered. “Before he met Shay and me, Yuto always had his hair like that.”

Alex, Sarah, and Lulu’s attentions were grabbed by what Kite said. They never knew he had a different hairstyle growing up and were a little confused on how he and Shay met Yuto. The dueling club’s co-founder filled them in on the three boys’ history together, from the day the eggplant-haired kid witnessed the end of Shay’s duel up to the day of the female duel tournament between the Spade and Clover Branches. Everything else that happened were easily recalled by everyone in the club.

Lulu immediately felt bad for her boyfriend. “I remember Shay telling me about a shy kid when I was younger,” Lulu recalled. “But I didn’t know that shy kid was you.”

“He’s right,” Yuto explained. “Remember when Shay mentioned that he helped change me?”

Lulu did remember hearing his brother say that back at the Kastles’ party a few nights ago. It was starting to come together for her; she couldn’t believe Shay helped turn a lonesome kid into a handsome gentleman. If that hadn’t happened, the two wouldn’t have end up dating.

“Is that why you don’t like having hair like this?” Lulu asked, caressing Yuto’s hair.

“It reminds me too much of my old life,” Yuto explained. “Back when I was an outcast among other kids in Heartland. Everyone preferred the light, but I was drawn towards darkness. It was meeting your brother that changed that. He encouraged me to be brave and noble. The boy you first met was the result of years of improvement.”

Lulu remembered on how she met Yuto shortly after she defeated the brown-haired ponytail girl. During the next several weeks before the Invasion, they got to know each other more and more, but at the same time, he was also easily flustered. Due to his improvement, his soft-spoken voice became more husky, but there were hints of his natural voice whenever he was around his girlfriend.

“You were blushing when Shay introduced me to you,” Lulu recalled. “And it sounded like you were stammering a bit.”

“You were the first beautiful girl I met,” Yuto explained. “I wasn’t even sure how I should act. I just kept on thinking about us as a couple.”

“Awww!” Sarah gushed. “That’s so cute!”

“You should have seen him when he joined the dueling club,” Kite said. “He was too scared to even speak up. Those Phantom Knight cards really helped him out.”

“They have,” Yuto agreed. He gently held Lulu’s hand and kissed the back of it. “I might still have a dark outlook, but I’m a lot more confident.”

After their lunch, the rest of the school day also went alright for Yuto. He was able to figure out how to keep his bangs from covering his eyesight: brushing them over his ears. Despite a few stubborn strands falling out of place, his flat hairstyle was tolerable for the most part. It even didn’t bother him during dueling class when he dueled against one of the Clover Branch students. All in all, today was pretty good day at Heartland Duel School.

After the school day ended, Yuto was in the car with Kameron, driving to ObsidianCorp for work. The eggplant-haired teen finished getting changed into his business suit and was putting his regular clothes into his backpack. Kameron saw Yuto’s flatter-than-usual hair through the windshield mirror. His eyes glanced over at a shopping bag; he may have a surprise for Yuto that can help him with his hair dilemma.

“Bad hair day?” Kameron asked.

“I have been sharing shampoo with Lulu,” Yuto explained. “I usually used Spike and Curl to maintain my spiky hair.”

“Why would you use that?” Kameron asked. “The oils in that cheap shampoo brand give whoever uses it a dry scalp.”

Yuto was surprised by the information. “I didn’t know that,” he admitted.

“But don’t worry,” Kameron said. “Lulu already explained what happened. I picked up a better shampoo brand and a little something that should help for today.”

Once the car slowed down to a stop at a red light, Kameron handed the shopping bag to Yuto. He opened the bag to see a shampoo brand called Thick and Spiky and a can of hairspray, leaving him astounded by what he saw.

“Thick and Spiky?” Yuto asked.

“It’s the same as Spike and Curl without all the damaging oils,” Kameron explained. “And the hairspray should be enough to keep your hair spiky for today.”

“Thank you, sir,” Yuto said.

Kameron smiled and nodded his head as a way to say “You’re welcome”. He knew those will come in handy for Yuto, especially today. With the traffic light turning green, he stepped on the gas pedal to resume driving. Several minutes later, he parked his car upon arriving at ObsidianCorp for another day at work. Shay was also working at the company so that he can get an understanding of how business works when he takes his parents’ place of being CEO.

Since they were a bit early for their shifts, Yuto took advantage of it by heading to the bathroom to spray some hairspray and maintain his hair’s spiky shape. Before applying it, he pushed his hair back like he always did and sprayed it in place. Now he was ready for his job as he looked at his reflection. He looked much better in his suit with his gravity-defying hair. …Almost like how I looked for the school dance, he thought to himself. He remembered his mom hugging him at how nice he was dressed in his rental suit. Yuto bit his lower lip a bit harder than he did earlier this morning. Why are these thoughts suddenly circling through his head?

A knock on the men’s bathroom door was heard, startling him again as he was snapped out of his thoughts once again. Was this almost like déjà vu? A voice was heard through the door; it was Shay, who was checking in on his friend to see if he was done with fixing his hair.

“Are you done in there?” Shay asked. “The other employees are starting to arrive.”

Yuto cleared his throat. “I am,” he replied, wondering why he couldn’t stop thinking about his mom today.

Yuto exited the bathroom and went to clock in with Shay and the other employees. It was about time to start his job. After the separation procedure was a success, he has been working as the head of ObsidianCorp’s dueling branch. His main task is to teach the employees how to duel; although they dueled as a hobby, they have been honing their skills so that they’ll be prepared if another emergency strikes. He may be 14 years old and have an important position in the business industry, yet he was still a bit uncomfortable with being called “Mr. Osaku”. If he was at least a couple years older, he wouldn’t mind.

Upon arriving at the meeting room, Yuto was happy to see his employees present. “Good afternoon everyone,” he said, walking over to the whiteboard. “I would like to start things off with a review of what has occurred in the company. As everyone knows, President Sanders of the United States has heard about our progress in preserving the beauty of natural parks and he has offered to provide funds for the American division.”

“Mr. Osaku, do you wish for us to use our dueling skills for the outsourcing?” a female employee asked.

“Unfortunately not,” Yuto answered. “Need I remind you how politicians take these things seriously?”

He does have a point; Duel Monsters on a political scale is serious business. In fact, it’s not the only game that was involved with politics. Earlier in the summer, an app called Pokémon GO was becoming increasingly popular, catching the attention of two Democratic presidential nominees: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. However, due to Hilary’s “Pokémon GO to the polls” line (which was a joke), she lost a lot of followers, making Sanders the Democratic representative. Throughout the presidential debate, he proved himself to be much more popular than Republican representative Donald Trump; therefore, he ended up winning the Election and became America’s newest president.

“My apologizes, sir,” the female employee said. “But why are you bringing this up?”

“Because Mr. and Mrs. Obsidian suggested a better alternative,” Yuto answered. “If we promote the company’s dueling branch to American card stores, we might be able to promote how useful dueling can be in a working environment, especially since this might encourage other businesses to form their own dueling branches.”

This idea fascinated the employees. Duel Monsters did get its start in America when Maximillion Pegasus created it. Since it rapidly-increased in popularity, what better way to form branches in the country that started it all than promoting ObsidianCorp’s dueling branch.

“Which brings us to today’s discussion,” Yuto continued. “The dangers of using pre-constructed decks. I have gone over last week’s dueling reviews and it seems most of you have purchased pre-constructed decks or decided to use meta decks, which are popular fan-made decks that have proven to be very powerful.”

“But Mr. Osaku, aren’t we supposed to prepare for any possible attacks?” a male employee asked

“Correct,” Yuto answered. “But pre-constructed decks are predictable. The enemy could easily figure out your strategy. Instead, it’s best to construct a deck using cards you like. That way the enemy won’t know what to expect.”

The employees discussed with one another about using their own individual decks. It is a nice recommendation because it means a variety of unpredictable strategies against a fixed tactic. But there was a slight problem: they needed to know which cards work well with their favorites and what archetypes would suit them the best. Fortunately, Yuto was there to help them out. Throughout the entire meeting, he went over the basics of constructing a custom deck and experimenting with cards to see which ones proved to be useful with their favorites. To put it simply, the meeting went really well for him.

“Mr. Osaku, are you feeling alright?” a female employee asked near the end of the meeting.

“Of course I am,” Yuto answered.

“Then why are you crying?” the female employee asked, sounding concerned.

Tears were abruptly streaming down Yuto’s eyes. He was completely unaware of them coming out; did something happen that made them appear on his face? Apparently, he mentioned the exact same deck-building tips Shay and Kite told him about during the meeting, triggering his memories. His mind kept flooding with the times of his personality and appearance changed thanks to his friends, the night he went to the Heartland Duel School dance, his determination to rescue Lulu after the Invasion, and helping Yuya and the Lancers put an end to the Interdimensional War. Now, here he is, working at his first job and living with his girlfriend and her family. If only his mother was around to see how far he has come.

Just then, Yuto couldn’t stop thinking about Lono. From the day he was (apparently) adopted by her, he looked up to her as a mother and his personal friend when he was a timid kid. As he grew up and became more of a gentleman, she was still by his side and proud of how much he has matured. She would have been prouder of where he is now if it wasn’t for the Chaos Ancient Gear Giant killing her. Now she’s gone, unable to see where he is right now after the Invasion. His body suddenly couldn’t stop shaking because of the overwhelming memories.

The other employees looked worried. “Mr. Osaku?” one of them asked.

“I’m sorry,” Yuto said, trying to regain his composure. “I have to be excused.”

Yuto left the meeting room and head towards the break room to try and calm down. It was barely working, but it was also gradually diminishing to breaking down. A few minutes later, Shay noticed him as he walked into the break room.

“Yuto?” Shay asked. “You finished the meeting early?”

Yuto looked up at Shay, his golden eyes brimming with tears. “I miss her,” he admitted, his voice choked up. “I miss my mom.”

Shay quickly realized that Yuto never had the time to properly grieve about his mother’s death. With the Invasion striking so suddenly and the four dimensions in danger of merging back into one, it was understandable that he was focused on more dire matters at the time. With everything resolved, he had some difficulty not trying to think about it, but in the end, it ultimately became too much for him to handle.

“I’m so sorry,” Shay said, trying to comfort his best friend. He wasn’t sure what else he could say. It didn’t seem right that his parents were carded and ultimately recovered, while Yuto ended up as an orphan.

“Why did I have to lose her?” Yuto asked as he covered his face with his hand, letting the tears pour from his eyes. “Why couldn’t she have been carded like everyone else?!”

Shay sat by Yuto’s side, comforting him and letting him cry until he calms down. He stayed silent as his friend sobbed his eyes out; he didn’t want to say anything to make him feel worse. It was unfair that Lono was killed while a huge portion of Heartland City was carded, leaving behind a handful of survivors. How will he break the news to Kameron and Astra? He decided to hold off on it until Yuto was calmer.

Some time later, Yuto finally calmed down. “Thanks Shay,” he said.

“Anything for a friend,” Shay replied.

Yuto was starting to head back to the conference room to conclude today’s meeting when the sound of Shay’s voice stopped him. As he turned around, his Raidraptor friend suggested that his parents need to be informed about what just happened. Yuto nodded in agreement, wiping away any lingering tears. He thanked Shay again for the comfort and received a “No problem” as an answer before the two left the break room.

At Kameron and Astra’s main office, they were surprised to see their son enter. “Shay?” Astra asked. “What are you doing here?”

“I need you to contact the Sakakis,” Shay explained. “Yuto never had a proper time to grieve when his mom died, so I was hoping you could set up a funeral for this evening.”

Shay informed his parents what happened to Lono when they were carded and mentioned that she and Yoko were sisters, making Yuya and Yuto cousins. The news was sudden and tragic to hear. They had no idea their most recent employee was forced to deal with this suffering; with only a few hours left before everyone heads home, they figured they’ll do whatever they can do make this funeral possible.

“Alright, son,” Kameron said. “We’ll see what we can do.”

“Thank you mother and father,” Shay said.

Meanwhile, at the Sakaki residence, Yoko was preparing dinner for the family. The sound of the house phone began to ring and she paused on dinner to see who it was. It said the Obsidians were calling; she wondered what they wanted to talk to her about. She pressed the “Answer” button and asked what was going on. In a matter of seconds, her body began to show signs of shock and sadness. This concerned Yuya and Yusho. Did something bad happened that they needed to be informed about? After hanging up, she walked towards the table when her tomato-haired son asked if anything was wrong. She responded that there was going to be a funeral for her sister this evening.

“What?” Yuya asked. “Why?”

“Because Kameron Obsidian informed me that Yuto never had a proper time to grieve,” Yoko answered.

“Wait… What’s going on?” Sora asked, entering the room. “Why are we having a funeral for someone from the XYZ Dimen…” His eyes went wide in shock, then narrow in anger. “Princeton…”

“Who?” Yuya asked.

“Chazz Princeton!” Sora explained, suddenly shouting. “He’s an Obelisk Force soldier with a sadistic mindset! He must have killed some people during the Invasion!”

Sora has known Chazz since before the Invasion occurred because he was one of his classmates while growing up at Duel Academy. Leo easily encouraged his dueling methods over the years, leading him to become a violent, twisted, and ruthless Duelist. To this day, Sora still remembered about his increased brutality and how it kept growing worse and worse. Although he may have been crazy back before allying with the Lancers, he at least had morality and never resorted to killing anyone.

“Leo gave strict orders to card people, not kill them!” Sora continued. “If I see him again, I’ll-”

“Sora, we can worry about that later,” Yuya pointed out. “Right now Yuto needs our support.”

Suddenly, Yuya started hearing a voice… A rather familiar voice. He’s heard it before, but he wasn’t entirely sure about it. All he knows is it first spoke as he witnessed three Obelisk Force soldiers carding the Knights of the Duel Disks during the Arc League Championship, which triggered Yuto’s memories about the catastrophe that struck in Heartland City.

“Don’t you dare let that beautiful smile leave your face.”

“What?” Sora asked, surprised that Yuya suddenly said that.

“Those must have been the last words Aunt Lono spoke to Yuto,” Yuya realized.

If that’s the case, then that’s what the voice said to him the first time he heard it. It soon clicked to him that the voice belonged to Lono when he Awakened the second time. But why? Why did she say those words to his cousin? Did she also want to see the world entertained and smiling as well? Did she want her son to try and remind people to respark and cherish their smiles? Just when they figured out her familial relation with the Sakakis, more questions arise about her. Hopefully, Yuto can help him answer these, but for now, he and his family should focus on attending the funeral.

“Kameron said the funeral is going to take place at Heartland Park,” Yoko informed. “We better get ready to go there.”

They all went to their respective bedrooms to pick out formal clothing to wear. Since this is a funeral, they all had to dress properly, especially Yuya. He had to wear a different suit for tonight because the suit Yuto wore for the LID dance was still his despite the two having the same body figure and clothing size. Besides, he was probably going to wear it for tonight. People typically wore black to funerals, but does he even have black clothes? This was going to be harder than he thought.

He was fortunate enough to settle with a black tuxedo that Yusho used to wear when he was younger. Of course, he took off his trademark goggles because this is a serious event. He met up with his parents, who were also formally dressed for the funeral, and Sora, who wore his usual clothes except his Obelisk Blue uniform jacket. They soon left their house and made their way to Heartland Park, where they met up with Yuto and the Obsidian family.

“Hey Yuto,” Yuya said.

Yuto smiled, but his eyes showed sorrow. “Glad you could make it,” he said.

The Obsidians were very grateful that the Sakakis and Sora could make it. They also dressed properly for tonight. Kameron wore also wore a black suit like Yusho and Yuya. Astra donned a knee-length, black dress with the sleeves cuffed near the elbows and black heels. Instead of what Lulu wore for today, she got changed into a sleeveless, knee-length, black dress with a black lace pattern on the upper chest portion with black heeled flats. She had her hair changed from twin pigtails to a loose ponytail. With everyone present, they began with the funeral service.

Kameron stepped forward to begin the funeral. “Thank you for coming,” he said. “We are here in honor of Ms. Lono Osaku, sister of Yoko Sakaki and mother of Yuto Osaku. While my family and I never really met her, we offer our support for our daughter’s future husband.”

“Father!” Lulu exclaimed, embarrassed.

“As I was saying, I do believe Yoko and Yuto would like to speak about what they remember when Lono was still alive,” Kameron continued.

Yoko was the first to go; since she recently recovered her memories of Lono, it makes sense for her to recall how much of a great sister Lono was before the dimensional split occurred.

“Lono was only three years younger than me,” Yoko said. “But she was always the mature one, always covering for me when I snuck out to hang out with my biker friends. We were always close, even when we got older. I even remember her face when I told her Yusho proposed to me.” She let out a small laugh. “She was the maid of honor and the wedding planner.”

She continued on with her speech, talking about how Lono wasn’t interested in dueling, but always supported her whenever she dueled with her biker gang. She recalled her favorite moments she spent with her younger sister and how she was glad to have someone like her before tears started forming in her eyes. Once she finished her speech, Yuya got up to comfort Yoko as she was crying. It was now Yuto’s turn to deliver some kind words about his mother.

“When a parent cares too much for their child, one can easily describe that as ‘smothering’,” Yuto said. “My mom was one of those people, but I didn’t mind. She always smothered me with love to try to get me to smile, even if it meant having matching Spirit Day costumes.

"When I got older, mom was happier once she noticed I was smiling more often, especially when I told her about Lulu. It might be a bit weird, but I think she started making wedding plans. She might have continued with those plans, but then…”

Yuto started choking up as he progressed with the rest of his speech. “I remember it happening so fast,” he continued. “I was trying to find anyone for help when suddenly a Chaos Ancient Gear Giant showed up. The Obelisk Force soldier standing nearby ordered an attack. I could have died, but…” He sniffled. “My mom… She shielded me from the attack. I even remember the last words she spoke to me: don’t you dare let that beautiful smile leave your face.”

At this point, Yuto was in tears. “But I did,” he continued. “I stopped smiling that night. I should have listened to her, but I didn’t. I gave in to rage…and nearly caused the world to end because of it.” He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, mom.”

After the last few words of Yuto’s speech were spoken, Yuya tried again with processing what Lono said on the night she died. It worked this time because he then came to the conclusion that she only wanted her son to be happy. The Invasion and Interdimensional War made Yuto so focused on defeating Duel Academy and rescuing Lulu that it spiraled to the point where he was fused with his cousin and eventually gave in to Zarc’s growing darkness. After everything that has happened, the poor guy needed some support and reassurance.

“Yuto…” Yuya said. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Yuto said, wiping away his tears. “I just wish I could have listened to my mom.”

“Then why not start now?” Yuya asked. “Instead of feeling sad about what happened to Aunt Lono, think about all the good times you had with her.”

Yuto widened his eyes a tiny bit. This sounded like some good advice, if he was going to be honest. He started flashing back to the fourteen birthdays he had with Lono; he always enjoyed the cakes she baked and the presents he received. He also loved the fairytales she used to read to him as a young kid before bedtime, with Rapunzel still being his all-time favorite. As he grew older and more extroverted, the two did more activities outside of their home together, such as going to the carnival, shopping at the mall, watching movies at the cinemas, playing in the park, and so on. He even remembered celebrating the holidays with her, with Spirit Day and Christmas tied for his favorites because of the costumes he wore, decorations they made, holiday treats they baked, and spending time with Lono; he also told her that Valentine’s Day was also going to be another favorite of his during the first few weeks he met Lulu.

A realization came across Yuto’s mind. All this time, he was blinded by the harsh impact of the past’s darkness that he almost forgot to embrace its light that always followed him wherever he went. It only took the advice of his Dueltaining cousin to help him remind that; things may have looked bleak for him, but he managed to pull through. Now, he has the rest of his life to bring back the happiness that Lono promised him to keep, and it began tonight with a single, soft smile.

“There’s that smile!” Yuya happily said.

“Thanks Yuya,” Yuto said, sounding much happier. “You’re the best cousin a guy could ask for.”

That evening, a few hours after the funeral was over, both families have already returned to their respective homes. Lulu was finished taking her evening bath and was all dressed in her pajamas, consisting of a short-sleeved, light yellow nightgown with a silver lining along the bottom and sleeves and her white slippers. She was ready for bed, but she hasn’t notice something was different than usual.

“Orbital, where’s Yuto?” Lulu asked.

“HE WENT TO THE DUELING ROOM, MISTRESS L-LULU,” Orbital explained. “HE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT WANTING TO PERFECT HIS DUELING STRATEGIES.”

“Thanks,” Lulu said. “Tell the maidbots in the spa room to prepare a nice bath and make sure the shampoo father bought for him is there.”

“YES MADAM, MISTRESS L-LULU,” Orbital replied with a salute.

Lulu left her bedroom and made her way to the dueling room, asking herself why Yuto would want to practice his dueling skills, especially at this time of night. It was almost bedtime and he needed to wash up and get some sleep. She entered the dueling room, where she witnessed Yuto preparing to perform an XYZ Summon. His mannerisms were currently being utilized in a different dueling style; she wasn’t sure why he was practicing this late or what his intention was.

“Cloak in shadows and relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons!” Yuto chanted. “I XYZ Summon Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!”

Dark Rebellion manifested himself from the Overlay Network and onto the field. As lightning crackled around the midnight blue, cloudy surroundings of his summoning, he flapped his tail, extended his wings, and raised his head. Appearing out of the Overlay Network, he let out his mighty roar.

“I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!” Yuto exclaimed.

Yuto began to concentrate his power into merging his mind with his dragon. All Lulu could do was watch in epiphany as her boyfriend’s body increased in faintness before falling unconscious on the floor. Simultaneously, Dark Rebellion obtained his owner’s behavior and mannerisms the moment he passed out. His newly-discovered Skill was a success.

A confused Lulu approached Yuto’s body while determining why he would try out his Skill this late. She was as worried as Rin when Yugo used it for the first time, but she had to ask him why he was perfecting his strategies all of a sudden, even if he couldn’t speak through Dark Rebellion. He heard her voice and attempted to turn around, but the dragon fumbled on the floor the moment he made his first move. He tried to get up, but with the dragon legs, he could barely stand; this was a downside Yugo and Yuri didn’t experience, so why was it happening to him?

Lulu looked over at Dark Rebellion. “Are you alright?!” she asked, alarmed.

Dark Rebellion growled “Yes” and tried to get up again, but failed. Within his mind, Yuto grew frustrated as he tried standing over and over again. Eventually, he exhausted his energy in striving to make a single movement in the dragon’s body. If it weren’t for the bent legs and heavy wings, he wouldn’t be in this mess.

Yuto had to end the mind merge, transferring his mind back to his body as Dark Rebellion went back to normal. “This whole mind merge is a lot harder than I thought,” he said. “I didn't realize Dark Rebellion has a disproportional body until now.”

“What were you even doing down here?” Lulu asked.

“I want this give this Dueltaining thing a try,” Yuto answered. “My mom wanted me to be happy, so I want to show that in duels.”

“You want to practice this late?” Lulu asked. “It’s almost bedtime.”

“I’m fine,” Yuto insisted, but it was clear that he was getting tired.

“Come on,” Lulu said, helping Yuto stand up. “You need to bathe.”

Lulu assisted Yuto out of the dueling room and escorted him into the spa room. The maidbots were just about done setting up his bath, making sure Thick and Spiky is next to the tub.

“SHALL WE BEGIN MASTER YUTO’S SPA TREATMENT?” one of the maidbots asked.

“Not tonight,” Lulu said. “I’ll take it from here. Please get some clean underwear and pajamas for him.”

“VERY WELL, MISTRESS LULU,” the maidbot said before she left.

“You want to treat me to a spa session?” Yuto asked.

“Of course,” Lulu answered. “It’s my way of cheering you up.”

Yuto smiled softly and gave Lulu a brief yet loving kiss. “Thank you,” he said.

Lulu left the bathroom for about a minute to give Yuto some privacy to get undressed and head into the tub. Once that was done, she helped get his hair wet to rinse out the hairspray he applied earlier in the afternoon. She opened up the new bottle of shampoo and poured out the required amount he needed since he has thicker hair than anyone in the household. He was about to get the bottle so that he can wash his hair, but she surprised him by lathering it all over his black and light purple hair, getting it sudsy and foamy. His mouth formed a smile again since this was a surprise that felt nice. As fast as she applied it to his head, she then felt something on his right ear, which turned out to be a scar he got back at the school dance when it was bombed during the initial attack.

“Is something wrong?” Yuto asked.

Lulu lightly traced the barely-noticeable scar on his ear. “Does it hurt?” she asked.

“It used to,” Yuto answered. “It doesn’t hurt as much anymore. I’m more relieved that I didn’t get severely injured.”

That being said, Lulu continued washing his hair, massaging his scalp as a way to comfort him. The thought of Yuto falling in love with a caring and amazing girl made him happy. “I love you,” he said, closing his eyes.

These three simple words surprised Lulu. She never heard him say those words before ever since they started dating; then again, she never said that to him either. One might assume that they never had a chance to say it to each other because of the War. While it is plausible, the main reason was because they both know. They know how much they love each other and have showed it visually through subtle displays of affection.

Lulu smiled softly. “I love you too,” she replied.

For the next several minutes, she continued giving Yuto his bath, rinsing out the shampoo from his hair and rubbing a bar of soap on his arms and upper body, with him finishing the rest. She unplugged the tub’s drain and placed a towel next to Thick and Spiky before leaving the spa room to dry off and give him privacy again. Taking the towel off the floor, he stepped out of the tub and onto the bathmat; he placed it on his head and then all over his body, wringing out the water from his hair and cleaning his wet body.

Wrapping the towel around his waist, Yuto exited the spa room and grabbed his underwear and pajamas. Lulu was already in bed, so she turned her body in the opposite direction to let him have some privacy. The pajamas the maidbots picked out was a long-sleeved, dark blue, button-up shirt with dark gray pants. After getting changed, he hung the towel up on the bathroom’s drying rack, then he turned the lamp off and headed to bed. He snuggled up next to Lulu when they said “Good night” to each other and dozed off to sleep.


	13. Performance Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugo, Yuri, and Yuto might have mastered their newfound Skills, but Yuya isn't doing so well with his...

“I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!” Yuya exclaimed.

Team Smiles continued with their training at You Show Duel School for the Team Duel Tournament. With it inching closer and closer, it almost feels like time is flying by fast, so Yuya, Zuzu, and Gong had to practice like there’s no tomorrow. So far, they were making great progress on testing out strategies and noting the ones that worked well with their archetypes to use for the tournament.

Today, the three were in another Battle Royale with each other. It was Yuya’s turn and he just Pendulum Summoned Performapals Hip Hippo, Helpprincess, Elephammer, Whim Witch, and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. He focused his power into merging his mind with his dragon, hoping Zuzu and Gong can tell the merge was a success if he displayed his mannerisms. He then fainted with his body collapsing on the floor. Surely, it must have worked like a charm when all of a sudden…

“Uh… Zuzu?” Gong asked. “Why is Hip Hippo running around acting like a dragon?”

Zuzu wasn’t sure what was up with Hip Hippo, nor did was she certain if anything went wrong. From the looks of things, Yuya’s mind merge worked based on his unconscious body, but the results were far different than what anyone expected. He accidentally merged with Hip Hippo, but since he believed it was a success, he started acting like Odd-Eyes. How are they going to explain to him?

“Yuya…?” Zuzu asked, nervously looking at Hip Hippo. “You might need to look at a mirror…”

Hip Hippo stopped moving once he heard Zuzu’s voice. He looked rather confused on what she was talking about. Look into a mirror? That’s impossible. There aren’t any mirrors around in the field. He didn’t need one because it quickly saw how short he was to the ground. A thunderstruck Yuya panicked a little because he knows he fused with Odd-Eyes; he shouldn’t be this low to the duel field. The panicking made Hip Hippo freak out as well, so Zuzu told him to calm down and to try again. He ended up regaining consciousness back in his own body with his Performapal returning to normal. That was a bizarre mind merge. With his eyes matching his dragon’s, the Skill was supposed to work with only Odd-Eyes and no other monster.

“Did I just mind merge with Hip Hippo?!” Yuya asked.

“Looks like it,” Gong answered.

“Alright then…” Yuya said, standing back on his feet. “Let’s try this again. I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!”

He concentrated on merging with ace again, but once his body passed out, his mind was transferred into Elephammer. He noticed how higher he was from the floor yet he wasn’t able to make to Odd Eyes. He attempted his Skill multiple times, ending up in Helpprincess, Whim Witch, and cycling between all four Performapals with only increased frustration.

Yuya was fed up with this; first, he had to get adjusted to his new eye colors, and now his Skill isn’t working properly. Based on what Yugo said, he got it right on his first try…and that one was an accidental discovery. If it worked for him, then it also must work for Yuto and Yuri, so why is he the only one faced with this hiccup?

“What gives?!” Yuya shouted once he returned to his own body. “Why can’t I use my Skill?!”

Suddenly, Odd-Eyes made an angry growl. “Huh?” Yuya asked, looking at his dragon.

Odd-Eyes’ growl sounded like he was preventing Yuya from doing something, but what was he even doing though? The tomato-haired teen realized why he was unable to perfect his Skill. Because of his Dueltaining techniques, his monsters have treated the duels as performances with his ace dragon as the lead. The mind merge felt like Yuya was try to take away the spotlight from him. It’s also worth mentioning that during Yuya’s duel against Declan, he thanked the other dragons, but Odd-Eyes wanted to be praised too. As a result, he is unable to utilize his Skill because his dragon has become an attention-hogging diva.

“You diva!” Yuya exclaimed. “You’ve been purposely preventing me from merging minds with you!”

Odd-Eyes continued behaving like your average everyday diva as his owner kept calling it out on his actions. It was embarrassing the Performapals because of the behavior he was displaying. Even the summoned Melodius and Superheavy Samurai monsters were a bit nervous about this conflict since they were sweating bullets.

“You’re not the only monster I have, mister!” Yuya exclaimed. “That behavior might have been fine when we dueled Declan, but you can’t keep the spotlight to yourself!”

With a loud roar, Odd-Eyes left the field. “Don’t you leave when I’m speaking to you!” Yuya exclaimed as his dragon vanished.

“What just happened?” Zuzu asked.

“That Odd-Eyes thinks he can get away with anything just because he’s my ace!” Yuya ranted. “How am I supposed to use my new Skill if he refuses to corporate?!”

This was going to be quite the dilemma to resolve. Given that Yuya’s an aspiring Dueltainer and Odd-Eyes has become divaish, trouble was bound to ensue, meaning Team Smiles won’t be able to train for the next few weeks before the tournament. It was a big deal and the three need to figure out a way for the Pendulum Dragon to decrease his prima donna ego to enable Yuya to use his Skill.

Gong patted Yuya on the back. “Don’t worry, Yuya,” he said. “He’ll get over it by tomorrow.”

“I hope so,” Yuya said.

Later that evening, Yuya had already finished his dinner and was already in his room, lying on his bed and thinking about earlier. He and Odd-Eyes have been through everything together ever since his first Pendulum Summon. Why is it now that his dragon is acting so stuck-up? He really hoped he does get over it because this is one of the most awful timing to be in a pickle like this.

As he turned his body around so that he was facing towards the wall, Sora came in and saw his adopted brother what appeared to be sulking. He wondered if anything was bothering him; never hurts to ask, right?

“Yuya?” Sora asked. “Is everything alright?”

“Not really,” Yuya admitted. “Odd-Eyes won’t let me use my Skill.”

“So you can’t mind merge with him?” Sora guessed.

“Pretty much,” Yuya answered.

“Why don’t you ask your other selves if they’re also having problems?” Sora suggested.

“Oh yeah!” Yuya realized. “They might figure out what’s going on. Thanks, Sora.”

Yuya took out his Duel Disk and opened up the Webcam app. He initiated a group chat with his counterparts; so far, Yuto and Yugo haven’t responded, but Yuri has, and his new haircut surprised his Pendulum counterpart. He questioned himself if he contacted the wrong Duel Disk because the guy in the chat doesn’t look like Yuri. He was informed about how the latter went to the barber shop the other day because he wanted to find a way to win over Celina. Yuya was impressed with how it came out and sincerely wished him good luck, receiving a “Thank you”.

Yuri asked why the group chat was set up. Yuya responded that he wanted to talk to him and their other two counterparts, but Yuto and Yugo haven’t answered yet. They assumed that the two were watching a movie with Lulu and playing a tabletop duel with Rin respectively. Yuri indicated that things can get quite intimate with the Synchro duo whenever they play tabletop duels, especially with the occasional hand-touching. Yuya let out a chuckle before clearing his throat and began explaining to the Predaplant user his issue with his Skill and what’s causing it.

“I see…” Yuri said. “So you appear to be having a hard time mind merging with your dragon.”

“So do you know what’s going on?” Yuya asked.

“Not a clue,” Yuri answered. “I never have problems merging my mind with Starving Venom.”

Suddenly Yugo joined the group chat. He was out of breath, his hair was tussled, and his shirt was absent. “Hey guys,” he said. “Yuri, is that you? You look different.”

“Of course I look different, you moron!” Yuri exclaimed. “I recently got a haircut.”

“What?” Yugo asked. “That can’t be it. That cliché is too overused.”

Sora overheard what Yugo said and sat next to Yuya, unofficially joining the chat. He told him that Yuri did get a haircut while casually mentioned that he and Dennis were with him at the barber shop.

“So what happened to you?” Yuya asked Yugo.

“Me?” Yugo asked. “I was helping Rin with Duel Runner maintenance when we accidentally touched hands. Then these strange thoughts came into my head and…well… Things got weird.”

The other three boys had a feeling that it was intimacy he experienced; much to Yuya and Yuri’s luck, they briefly discussed about how the Speedroid user had moments like this with Rin. But can you blame him? Since he is one of Zarc’s reincarnations, he has some moments that could be described as…perverted… It was all because of the former champion’s fantasies he had about Ray, which were passed down to Yugo, leading to these moments that were being described, including the most recent one.

“Dear god, you are only 14!” Yuri assumed.

“What?” Yugo asked. “Nah, we didn’t do that. We only kissed a lot. Nothing much.”

“Then why is your shirt off?” Yuya asked.

“RinRin got a bit handsy,” Yugo answered.

At that moment, Yuto joined the conversation. “What is it?” he muttered, half-exhausted. “I was just sleeping.”

“You sure?” Yugo asked.

Yuto moved his Duel Disk to briefly show he was in bed with Lulu, but unlike Yugo, he was fully-clothed in his pajamas. “Yes, Yugo,” the eggplant-haired Duelist muttered. “I was. Now can someone please explain who had the crazy idea to call me this late?”

“I did,” Yuya answered. “I’m having trouble with mind merging. Odd-Eyes isn’t really cooperating.”

“Then you really don’t need my advice,” Yuto said groggily. “I only have a hard time moving because Dark Rebellion is disproportional.”

“Weird…” Yugo said. “Clear Wing is alright with me using my Skill.”

“As does Starving Venom,” Yuri repeated.

“So I’m the only one who can’t seem to mind merge properly?” Yuya asked.

“Looks like it,” Yugo replied.

“Great,” Yuto muttered. “Goodnight.”

Yuto disconnected his webcam from his Duel Disk to get some sleep, leaving Yuya, Sora, Yugo, and Yuri the only ones left in the group chat.

“Pfft… Party pooper,” Yugo said.

“Yuya, your dilemma is rather curious,” Yuri remarked. “Have you done anything that lead to your dragon acting so odd?”

“Not really,” Yuya answered. “But I have to ask. What’s it like when you mind merge?”

“It feels rather…unusual,” Yuri answered. “You’re you, but you’re not exactly you. There is also a voice you constantly hear, almost as if you are in perfect sync with your dragon.”

“I don’t get what any of that mean, but Yuri’s right,” Yugo replied. “Your mind is merged with your dragon’s mind. Your thoughts become one.”

Could that be it? Are Yuya and Odd-Eyes not perfectly in-sync because of their “clashing” personalities? Maybe what Yuri and Yugo said helped explain the Dueltainer vs Diva situation he was in. Just then, he had an idea. If he can at least reason with his dragon tomorrow, then there may be a chance of him practicing his Skill. From the sound of things, he may have found the answer to his problem.

“Thanks guys,” Yuya said. “I think I managed to figure something out.”

“No problem,” Yugo said.

“Glad to be of service,” Yuri said.

The three ended the group chat, but before Yuya got ready for bed, Sora asked how he was going to solve his conflict with Odd-Eyes and if it’ll work. He was reassured that it was bound to work, no matter how stubborn he may act or how difficult the conflict may get. Besides, the worst case scenario is the rest of the Yu-Salad and their dragons getting involved…albeit Yuto since he was having trouble moving around after merging with Dark Rebellion. Sora nodded his head and reminded Yuya if everything works out tomorrow.

The next day, back at You Show, Team Smiles was about to start another day of training. Yuya informed Zuzu about his discussion with his counterparts and how he may have found a solution to his problem. She was glad to hear it; hopefully, he will start practicing his Skill in no time. However, the conflict worsened because when Yuya was starting today’s Battle Royale, he looked at his hand and noticed his ace was no longer in his Pendulum form; he reverted back to Odd-Eyes Dragon. Why on earth would he do something like that? Regardless, it shocked and disappointed him.

“Odd-Eyes?!” Yuya asked. “What happened to you?!”

Zuzu laughed a bit. “Guess someone’s still being stubborn,” she pointed out.

“Okay, that’s it!” Yuya said as he sent text messages to his counterparts through his Duel Disk. “I’m getting backup!”

Well, it looked like the worst case scenario ended up happening earlier than Yuya anticipated. Several minutes have passed and his counterparts arrived, wondering what was going on when they were shown Odd-Eyes’ original form. He took things too far for his owner, and what’s worse is that Yuya wanted to try out his solution he came up with last night.

“Oh dear,” Yuri said. “That does look troublesome.”

“So what do you want us to do?” Yugo asked.

“Bring out your dragons,” Yuya explained. “They might be the only ones who can snap Odd-Eyes out of this act.”

Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri took out Dark Rebellion, Clear Wing, and Starving Venom. The Yu-Salad activated their Duel Disks and drew the cards that they needed to perform their respective special summons.

“Turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Dragon!”

“I XYZ Summon Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!”

“I Synchro Summon Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!”

“I Fusion Summon Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!”

All four dragons appeared on the dueling field after being summoned by their owners. Upon seeing each other, they roared and bellowed to one another—this was their way of communication. With them inheriting distinct personalities, their “conversation” reflects the Yu-Salad to an extent. Clear Wing is quick-tempered, Starving Venom is snobby, and Dark Rebellion keeps the dragons in check; usually Odd-Eyes is a cheerful performer, but since he became more of a stuck-up diva, this conversation was necessary to try and reason with him.

At one point, Clear Wing slashed at Odd-Eyes, surprising Yuya. “Yugo!” the tomato-haired teen exclaimed.

“Sorry, Yuya,” Yugo said with a shrug. “That’s usually how Clear Wing tries to reason with others.”

Dark Rebellion growled at Clear Wing for slashing Odd-Eyes like that while Starving Venom let out a huff at it. Yuri described that it was his dragon’s way of calling Yugo’s a moron. “Like owner, like dragon”, as his modified version of an old saying goes. Then again, Yugo didn’t mind being called a moron, so he wondered if Clear Wing did the same; as it turns out, she didn’t mind that nickname. Yuri couldn’t believe what he witnessed between the two dragons, and naturally Yugo played the “Like owner, like dragon” card, slightly annoying his Fusion counterpart. If that was the case, then how does Winter Bell call Clear Wing a moron?

After that little shenanigan was settled, the three Dimension Dragons continued with their intervention with Odd-Eyes as everyone else watched on.

At one point, Odd-Eyes growled a bit, causing Yuya to look surprised. “Odd-Eyes, watch your language!” he exclaimed.

Even his counterparts and the other dragons were shocked at the…colorful vocabulary they just heard. The dragons glared at Odd-Eyes, as if they were pointing out that he said some ‘bad language words’.

Zuzu grew worried about this conversation; what if it grows worse, and if does, should she have to contact her counterparts and use their ace monsters to assist the Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri’s dragons? She had to voice her concern to the Yu-Salad about Odd-Eyes.

But then, Dark Rebellion growled at Yuto. “You want me to activate my Skill?” the eggplant-haired teen asked.

Dark Rebellion nodded “Yes”. There was another reason why this worst case scenario was made last night: Yuya’s counterparts demonstrating their Skills to show Odd-Eyes that the mind merge is not bad and helps establish teamwork between the Duelist and the dragon. Yuto hasn’t perfected his Skill because his dragon was disproportionate and hard to move around in. Starving Venom and Clear Wing also wanted Yuri and Yugo to activate their Skills as well to aid the XYZ Dragon-Duelist duo in convincing the reverted dragon, just in case he does stumble. Without any hesitation and further delays, the three began to concentrate their power as they chanted out their Skill activation.

“I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!” Yuto exclaimed.

“I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!” Yugo exclaimed.

“I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!” Yuri exclaimed.

With the sound of the three roars echoing throughout the duel field, the three boys’ minds became one with their respective dragons, causing their bodies to fall and lie limp on the floor and Dark Rebellion, Clear Wing, and Starving Venom to gain their owners’ mannerisms. As predicted, Yuto couldn’t maintain his balance because of how heavy the wings were and the bent legs weren’t helping. This was admittedly embarrassing, but aside from that, it caught Odd-Eyes’ attention.

“You see?” Yuya asked Odd-Eyes. “I’m not taking the spotlight from you. We’re sharing it, like a team. So will you let me mind merge with you?”

Odd-Eyes looked down at Yuya, whose dual-colored eyes stared calmly back at him. He soon realized how much of a jerky, attention-hogging diva he acted since yesterday and wanted to apologize for his behavior; fortunately, he knew the best way possible. Yuya’s pendant started glowing out of the blue as a light blue aura surrounded the dragon, transforming him back into Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. Yuya’s eyes lit up with glee, indicating his ace that he forgives him, and to show how the two will always make an amazing team, he exhaled as he shouted out his Skill activation once again.

“I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!” Yuya exclaimed.

The power Yuya was concentrating on began surging from his body to Odd-Eyes, who let out his famous roar; everything was going well so far. His body then fell on his knees as he fell face first on the floor. Now all four boys laid without consciousness, with Zuzu and Gong watching and waiting to see if the mind merge worked this time. Before anyone knew it, Odd-Eyes slowly lifted his head, looking around to get a feel of his surroundings; he was surprised to see how high he was off the ground. He turned his body around a few quick times to see if what was happening was real. Sure enough, it was. He growled and bellowed happily upon discovering that the merge was a success. Even the other merged dragons were proud of Yuya’s achievement. Below them, Zuzu was celebrating her heart out.

“Yuya, you did it!” Zuzu cheered.

“How are ya feeling?” Gong asked.

Despite the fact that the Yu-Salad can’t speak when merged with their dragons, Yuya tried to respond to Gong’s question regardless. All that came out of Odd-Eyes’ mouth were the sounds of growls. Gong had no idea what he was saying, but Zuzu can tell their friend is really happy to finally utilize his Skill for the first time.

A few minutes later, the Yu-Salad returned to their original bodies. “That was amazing!” Yuya exclaimed, feeling so overjoyed. “It was like I actually _became_ Odd-Eyes!”

“It is rather a delightful feeling,” Yuri said. “Being able to become one with your monsters brings out the best in them.”

“It is!” Yugo agreed with a thumbs up. “I even get to experience what flying feels like!”

“I just hope I can get my balance right,” Yuto sheepishly admitted.

Now that the Yu-Salad have all gotten opportunities to try out their Skills, Zuzu, Lulu, and Celina haven’t yet brought out their marks full potential, making them the remaining three of the eight counterparts who never tried out a Skill. Thanks to Rin, they have gotten a sense of how it works; she even came up with a name for it: Natural Energy Burst. They’re hoping they don’t run into any problems themselves because each concluding day brings them, their friends, and the other teams closer and closer to the big day of the Team Duel Tournament.


	14. Songbird Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lulu has spent her whole life wanting to be a famous movie actress. Unfortunately, certain events from the Interdimensional War may put a huge hindrance on her dreams...

Everyone has a variety of dreams they wish to achieve in the future. Yuya and Zuzu want to be Dueltainers, Yugo and Rin aim to be professional Turbo Duelists, and Yuri and Celina plan on improving Duel Academy with Leo. Some dreams seemed impossible to fulfill—as seen with Téa, who attended Duel Academy after dance school was a flop for her—or even challenging to figure out, but setting them on the right path is a stepping stone to their independent journeys, such as Yuto, who is recently working at ObsidianCorp to determine what his future will be. But it seems like someone is missing… That’s right. Lulu Obsidian. Back at the LID dance, she mentioned how she wanted to be an actress.

Ah, yes. Acting. It is a really busy but also popular career choice among people. It is one of the leading occupations that have spawn celebrities, aside from the music industry. They can either work in movies, TV shows, and plays, but for Lulu, she always wanted to be a movie actress. When she was a young kid, she loved watching movies all the time; in fact, they were the reasons why she got interested in Duel Monsters because they were featured in a lot of popular movies. She also initially wanted to grow out her hair because the more well-known actresses have long hair. Although she now keeps her dark purple hair long to cover the scar she received during the Invasion, it didn’t crush her desires for her future.

At Heartland Duel School, Lulu has been taking acting classes. That’s right. Acting classes. In a duel school. They were incorporated in so many different duel schools, obviously except Duel Academy, because of how well Duel Monsters and the movie industry worked together. Because of her reason for becoming a Duelist and her dream for the future, she often tends to practice her acting skills in her duels, both before and after the Interdimensional War. Dueling and acting have some kind of intertwining connection with each other, so she is always making sure when it is best to display what she has learned so far.

Right now Lulu was working on a group project, in which groups of four were assigned to act out a skit using their monsters. And so far, things were going well for the Obsidian heiress.

“I overlay my five Lyrilusc- AHH!” Lulu had to pause, rubbing her back in pain.

“Ms. Obsidian, are you alright?” the acting professor asked.

“Yes, Professor Marson,” Lulu answered. “I just have to- AHH!”

Of course, Lulu has been dealing with a serious roadblock recently. Ever since receiving the metal plates on her spine after an Ancient Gear Hunting Hound nearly paralyzed her, she rarely duels because of the sharp pain that it sends to her back. In a nutshell, her injury was interfering with her dream for a while now. She has to be careful because one false move means she will never walk again. Although she knows the potential consequence if she inadvertently does make a life-changing mistake, her determination prevents her from giving up.

“Ms. Obsidian, if your injury is getting worse, we can take you to the nurse’s-” Professor Marson started to say.

“No!” Lulu insisted, her eyes brimming with tears due to the pain. “I can continue! I’m not going to let a back injury stop me!”

Just then, the pain was starting to become too much for her to handle as she nearly collapsed on the floor, worrying her group, her classmates, and Professor Marson. “Lulu!” Sarah exclaimed, rushing over to her side.

“Ms. Obsidian, I’m going to have to ask you to sit down,” Professor Marson instructed. “I already told you that the increased weight of Duel Disks will cause back problems for you.”

Lulu had no choice but to sit down with Sarah escorting her to her seat. As she sat and watch the rest of the group projects unfold, she couldn’t but think about something. The last few times she dueled after the Invasion, her back was fine, despite the weight of her regular and Duel Academy Duel Disks, so why was it hurting now? Whatever’s going on, she may have to talk to her friends, her family, and maybe even the school nurse about this.

During her lunch break, she and Sarah explained everything that happened in acting class to Yuto, Kite, and Alex. The spectacled-girl was afraid of her friend becoming paralyzed and never achieving her dream; she knows how much it means to Lulu and it would be devastating to hear news about the possible tragedy, let alone think about it.

“This isn’t fair!” Lulu exclaimed, tears coming from her eyes. “I spent my whole life wanting to be an actress!”

Yuto pulled his girlfriend in for a one-armed hug, shushing her. “It’s okay,” he said, kissing her tears. “You’ll get through this.”

“He’s right,” Alex agreed. “You survived an Invasion. Back problems shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Except she doesn’t have typical back problems,” Kite pointed out. “Her spine was damaged from the Hunting Hound that attacked her.”

Kite was right; the injury was critically severe that she _had_ to get spinal plates. Alex took back what he said about back problems being no big deal.

“It still doesn’t explain why this is happening,” Alex said. “You only dueled once when you fought Yuri, so how could that give you problems?”

Yuto’s eyes widened behind his glasses. “Because she didn’t,” he explained, horrified.

“What?!” Sarah asked. “When?”

Yuto explained that it happened during the War when she was brainwashed by the Doktor using Fusion Parasites, a Duel Monster with an advanced form of Solid Vision that requires its card form in its host’s deck to properly function. They basically warp the host’s strategy into using Fusion Summon, which explains Lyrilusc - Independent Nightingale—and initially Windwitch - Crystal Bell before Rin started to use it for good instead of evil. Leo and the Doktor were both unaware of the spinal plates, so they basically made Lulu duel against her free will. Yuto knew about the spine problems, but this realization made him deeply concerned about how severe they might get.

The Clover Branch dueling club members were shocked. “Oh, Lulu…” Sarah said.

“But I can’t let this interfere with my dreams,” Lulu insisted. “I’m an Obsidian, and Obsidians won’t let anyone or anything stop them!”

“That’s the spirit!” Alex cheered. “Don’t let those problems stop you from becoming an actress!”

“But you might need to go to an actual doctor just in case,” Kite suggested.

He does have a point; besides, seeing a doctor can help bring Lulu one step closer to stopping the spinal problem from interfering with her dream. She and Yuto may have to talk to Shay and her parents about this issue to see what they can do. Fortunately, with Shay working at ObsidianCorp, Yuto said he can fill them in when he heads to work later in the afternoon. Lulu thanked him for helping her out as the two hugged each other.

For the rest of the day, Lulu didn’t take part in any duels. It was kind of a shame because she enjoyed playing Duel Monsters, but at the same time, her dream was on the line and she doesn’t want her back to grow more painful. The best she could do was watch her classmates’ duels until further notice. She was a little upset about how her current health status was affecting her life.

Later that day, club activities began with Lulu and her Clover Branch friends attending the dueling club as usual. While she wondered about how her brother and parents might react to this, Yuto was already in Kameron’s car and the two were off to work. As the eggplant-haired teen got changed into his business suit, Kameron noticed that something was on his mind.

“Are you alright?” Kameron asked.

“Not exactly,” Yuto explained as he buttoned up his dress shirt. “It’s Lulu. She nearly collapsed during class today.”

He explained to a concerned Kameron about how the Duel Disk was making her back hurt when doing her group project and his realization of the Fusion Parasites brainwashing her and forcing her to duel under the Doktor’s command while he and Leo were both unaware of her spinal plates.

“Leo Akaba did what?!” Kameron asked.

Yuto realized Kameron and Astra were unaware of the whole Fusion Parasite disaster. “Lulu doesn’t have it in her head anymore,” he clarified, having finished getting dressed for work. “She even ripped up Independent Nightingale after the War.”

Kameron sighed out of relief knowing his daughter isn’t brainwashed anymore, but Yuto was wondering how they’ll tell Astra and Shay about this. Lulu was very determined to not let her injury prevent her from reaching her dream, which led to her nearly collapsing and having to sit out for the rest of the school day. Her determination is one of her best qualities that Yuto likes, but he was worried her desire to pursue an acting career may soon result in her getting paralyzed for her entire life.

“But the collapsing is a concern,” Kameron said. “I’ll have to inform my wife about this information. Hopefully we can get the best doctor in the city to check Lulu’s spine.”

“Thank you, sir,” Yuto said. “I’ll inform Shay as soon as I see him.”

After arriving at ObsidianCorp and checking in, Yuto carried out with his job as usual. He continued giving out more advanced tips on custom deck construction, in which he seemed to be doing a better job doing ever since the night of Lono’s funeral. He was also informed about any updates in regards to President Sanders’ funds for the American division of ObsidianCorp. About halfway into the meeting, it was time for everyone’s break; as they started heading to the break room, Yuto separated himself from the crowd because his main priority was to find Shay and tell him about what happened to Lulu.

He didn’t want to waste his break time searching for his friend; this was an urgent situation. After spending approximately 5 minutes of trying to find him, Yuto decided to stop by at the water fountain to get a drink. He soon approached the fountain, and just as he was about take a sip of water, Shay appeared from behind.

“There you are, Yuto,” Shay said. “I wanted to talk to you about the upcoming tournament.”

“There are more important things to worry about,” Yuto informed. “Lulu collapsed during school today.”

“What?!” Shay asked. “Is she alright?!”

“She had to sit out of the rest of her classes,” Yuto continued. “Being forced to duel because of the Fusion Parasite might have increased the pain of her spinal injury.”

Yuto then mentioned how Kameron was going to talk to Astra about this so that they can try to find the best doctor in the city to see what they can do about it. However, Shay was deeply concerned.

“This isn’t good,” the Raidraptor Duelist said. “Lulu has dreamed of becoming an actress. She’ll end up heartbroken if her injury gets worse.”

“I know,” Yuto agreed. “I love her too much to see upset. I just hope your parents find a good doctor.”

“They will,” Shay reassured. “Mother and father love Lulu too much to let her give up on her dreams.”

Yuto breathed out a little in order to calm down a little and thanked Shay for the reassurance, with the Raidraptor user responding with a “No problem.” Since he just mentioned his parents, he wondered if they were able to find the time to address the serious issue. As it turns out, they did found the right time because at the main office, Kameron and Astra were also discussing about their daughter’s injury, how her brainwashing worsened it, and figuring out the best doctor they could find. Astra was afraid when she heard Lulu was brainwashed after her abduction, but relieved that she was no longer under the Doktor’s control. It still doesn’t change the fact that her future is slowly hanging in the balance.

“I’m deeply concerned about our daughter,” Astra said, looking through a list of doctors on the computer.

“Me too,” Kameron said. “Leo Akaba shouldn’t have interfere with her life.”

“I never thought he would hurt her like that,” Astra said. “I’m not even sure if there are doctors who can completely heal her.”

Kameron gave Astra’s hand a gentle squeeze. “We’ll fine one, dear,” he reassured. “I know we can.”

For the next several minutes, Astra kept searching for the perfect doctor to treat her daughter’s injury, thinking about the current matter in hand. If Lulu wasn’t abducted by Yuri and brainwashed with a Fusion Parasite, then the spinal pain wouldn’t be too much of a problem and it would at least be decent enough to fix, one that would most likely heal her. But since Leo and the Doktor unintentionally worsened it, the issue had a dramatically increased severity level that could be described as urgent. As she kept doing her best not to stress too much about it, she applied filters to the list of doctors, making sure they specialize in back pain and are the best at what they do. After a few more minutes later of scrolling through the filtered list, she stopped scrolling to see someone in particular on the list.

“What’s this?” Astra mused. “Dr. Fonda Fontaine.”

“You found someone?” Kameron asked.

“According to Dr. Fontaine’s bio, she specializes in various types of surgical procedures,” Astra read. “Do you think she can help Lulu?”

“I hope so,” Kameron replied.

Astra scrolled down through her bio to see a  list of contacts below, consisting of her phone number, her email and mailing addresses, and her social media accounts. Opening up her mail app on her computer, she typed down an email, asking to schedule an important appointment with Lulu to see what she can do about her back, spine, and the metal plates. Shortly thereafter, she clicked “Send.” Now all they have to do is wait for a response.

Back with Yuto, he had just finished his meeting with the employees. During that time, he still couldn’t stop worrying about his girlfriend all day and tried to maintain his composure. As he walked down the halls, he wondered if there was a phone nearby in order to try and call her. He hasn’t been this worried since the night of her kidnapping. While looking for a phone, he walked by Kameron and Astra’s office, who wanted to see him and their son.

“Yuto, can we speak to you?” Kameron asked.

“Sure,” Yuto answered as he entered the office. Shay was also present.

“Did you find a good doctor?” Shay asked.

“We have,” Astra answered. “Her name is Dr. Fonda Fontaine. She specializes in surgical procedures. We sent her an email hoping she could help Lulu.”

Yuto and Shay were surprised to hear the news. They were glad that Lulu’s parents were able to find a doctor to help treat their daughter’s injury, but the only questions left are how serious her back pains are and if any surgery will be required for her spine, along with seeing how the metal plates have been holding up since after the Invasion struck.

“What if the procedure fails?” Yuto asked.

“I’m sorry?” Astra asked.

“You said you contacted a surgical doctor,” Yuto clarified. “That means she’s going to have surgery. What if it fails?”

Accidentally getting paralyzed is one thing, but a failed surgical procedure was another. Whatever the case is, Lulu’s future was hanging by a thread and Yuto was worried that one mistake during surgery will risk her dream of being an actress.

**“Don’t you dare let that beautiful smile leave your face.”**

All of a sudden, Yuto started remembering Lono’s last words to him. Why would this memory triggering in his mind at a moment like this? How can he smile knowing Lulu could never walk again… Or worse, die? He almost lost her because of ARC-V and he doesn’t want to lose her again.

“I-I can’t lose her again,” Yuto said, his voice cracking with sadness. “I can’t! I love her too much to let her die!”

He felt small tears forming in his eyes out of fear. He wouldn’t know what he would do if she died with the both knowing she never got a chance to fulfil her dream for the future. It was basically life or death at this point; no one has ever smiled at an issue this life-threatening, so what was the point of preventing his smile from abandoning him in this dire situation?

“Lulu isn’t going to die,” Shay reassured. “We both know she’s too stubborn to let something like this stop her.”

“Shay is right, Yuto,” Kameron agreed. “We can only hope her stubbornness helps her survive the procedure.”

Stubbornness? Is that one of Lulu’s personality traits? Yuto always knew she was very determined, but he didn’t want to say anything about her determination and accidentally upset her. However, what her parents said could explain why she nearly collapsed earlier today. He guessed they were right; the best they can do was hope she pulls through on the day of her surgery.

A week later, Yuto and the Obsidians were at the hospital, meeting up with Fonda so that Lulu can prepare for her surgery. On the day when she had her appointment, Dr. Fontaine ran some X-rays to see what was causing her back to ache so badly; as it turns out, her metal plates have been slowly coming loose. When the Lyrilusc user first got them, they were supposed to be temporary, so it was a good time to say she needed surgery done.

“Ms. Obsidian, were you aware that the spinal plates were temporary?” Dr. Fontaine asked.

“Of course,” Lulu answered. “But some complications happened before I could get them removed, so I had to endure for as long as I could.”

With that said and done, it was time for Lulu to get changed and head to the operating room. She said goodbye to her family and her boyfriend, giving each of them a tight hug, especially Yuto due to his fear of her dying. After the hug fest, she departed with Fonda as they walked through the double doors. Now all the others have to do is sit in the waiting room and hope for the best. 

A few hours later, Yuto was already nervous. His mother’s final words echoed in his head, but he couldn’t smile. He was worried about losing the love of his life. He hoped that she would be able to pull through.

Ultimate Dr. Fontaine entered the waiting room. “Was it a success?” Kameron asked.

“It was,” Dr. Fontaine answered. “The spinal plates were successfully removed, but…”

“But what?” Shay asked, fearing the worst-case scenario.

“We found this coming out of her ear during the procedure,” Dr. Fontaine continued, revealing a small glass jar containing a tiny insect.

Yuto and Shay gasped at the sight of the insect. It was a Fusion Parasite! You would think they found the time to escape the Energy Girls’ bodies through their ears after the Doktor was carded, but oh boy, were we **_all_** wrong. The Phantom Knight and Raidraptor users explained _everything_ to Fonda, from what the insect is to how it works in regards to brainwashing its host to how it was linked to the “complications” Lulu had.

“Oh dear,” Dr. Fontaine said, looking at the insect. “Then it’s a good thing this was removed.”

“But what about Lulu?” Astra asked. “Is she alright?”

“She survived the procedure, but I’m afraid the spinal plates left permanent scars on her bones,” Dr. Fontaine answered. “There’s a high chance that she might not be able to walk again.”

Just like that, everyone’s worlds started to crumble, as if the bad news nuked the living crap out of them. The inevitable did happen after all, no matter what they did; Lulu may never get the future she always wanted when she was just a kid. Shay was left in anguish while Kameron, Astra, and Yuto were showing signs of breaking down from hearing those words.

“Would you like to see her?” Dr. Fontaine asked.

“Yes,” Shay answered.

Shay, his parents, and Yuto followed Fonda to one of the rooms, where they saw Lulu recovering from her surgery. She was still tired because the anesthesia was slowly wearing off. “Hi…” she said groggily.

Yuto walked over to Lulu. “Are you feeling alright?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Lulu answered. “Dr. Fontaine explained everything to me.”

Yuto gave Lulu’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I know,” he said sadly. “I’m sorry this happened to you, Lulu. I know you want to be an actress, but-”

“Stop crying, my sweet knight,” Lulu said. “Dr. Fontaine told me she’ll ask Declan to build my Duel Disk into a custom wheelchair. I might not be able to walk again, but I can still duel.”

Yuto looked up at with a speechless look and lingering tears in his eyes, with Lulu’s family following suit. This was really great to hear; she can now duel more often and practice her acting skills again. When they were about ask how it’ll affect her being an actress, she said she’ll act without having to use her legs. Regardless, they were happy that she was heading down a road to recovery and her dream of being an actress was saved. Because of how happy and relieved he is about the good news, Yuto ended up kissing her.

The kiss was brief, but it showed a lot of emotion. Yuto gently touched foreheads with Lulu. “Marry me,” he breathed.

“Hmm?” Lulu asked.

“Marry me,” Yuto repeated. “I love you too much and I don’t want to spend another minute without you in my life.”

Lulu had trouble finding the right words to respond to what Yuto said; however, she was definitely overjoyed. They were still 14, but her surgery was one of the crucial moments in their lives and she was his happiness and true love… His everything.

The Lyrilusc princess let out a small laugh. “I love you too much as well,” she said, reaching up to ruffle her boyfriend’s hair. “But we only met months ago.”

Yuto slightly blushed at what she said, but she was right. Even though her parents were planning out their wedding, she doesn’t want to rush their relationship and it will take him years to properly propose to her. Shay couldn’t help but chuckle a little at their exchange.

Yuto kissed Lulu once more. “Very well,” he said. “I keep forgetting we were the only counterparts to meet at a later age.”

It was true. The two met after the tournament at their school when they were still naïve teenagers whereas their counterparts have known each other since they were little kids. Yuya and Zuzu knew each other because their parents were friends, Yugo and Rin met at an orphanage in the Synchro Dimension, and Yuri and Celina were aware of each other’s existence thanks to Leo.

“Yes, we are,” Lulu agreed. “But my love for you grows stronger every day. I love everything about you. Your hair, your eyes, your smile… Even your gentle kisses.”

But before Yuto could give Lulu another kiss, Shay interfered. “Okay, that’s enough,” he said. “I was worried about her too.”

Yuto quickly realized that and stepped aside to let Lulu spend some time with her family. “Oh Lulu, don’t you dare scare us like that again!” Astra said.

“I’m okay, mother,” Lulu reassured. “But I suspect the doctors must have done something to my head. It feels much clearer.”

“It was the Fusion Parasite,” Shay explained. “It was still in your brain. Dr. Fontaine said it fell out of your ear during your surgery.”

Lulu’s face became somewhat shocked to hear that. She asked to herself, So that’s why my head still felt…clogged? The Fusion Parasite was still in my head all this time? But that’s impossible. They should’ve been destroyed after the Doktor was carded, right? Regardless, that means the remaining three must still be in my counterparts. They need to be informed about this discovery ASAP.

“Thanks for informing me,” Lulu said. “I should inform the other girls about it.” She was about to sit up, but she couldn’t.

“You can’t,” Kameron said. “You’re still recovering from your surgery. You need to rest.”

“I appreciate your concern, father, but this is important,” Lulu insisted.

Shay put his hand on Lulu’s shoulder. “I’ll tell Declan about it,” he said. “I’m sure he’ll tell your counterparts.”

“Thanks Shay,” Lulu said, smiling softly.

For the next several minutes, she and her family chatted with each other, with her mentioning that she may be more restricted in terms of dueling due to the wheelchair, but she will still take part in the Team Duel Tournament. This topic made Shay realize that he wanted to tell Yuto about it last week. He asked his parents permission to talk to his friend out in the hall while they conversed with Lulu and telling them why. They both allowed the two to speak in private; whatever their Shay wanted to talk about regarding the tournament, it must be important.

“So what did you want to tell me about the tournament?” Yuto asked.

“I might have to drop out,” Shay explained. “My prosthetic leg is starting to malfunction. I don’t think it can handle a lot of rapid movement.”

Just when he was feeling better about Lulu’s surgery, a surprised Yuto couldn’t believe what he heard. This was almost becoming one giant domino effect: just a looping cycle of one solved problem with another one arising. He wondered if there was anyone who specializes in technology to try and fix Shay’s prosthetic leg; heck, he was curious if Fonda can see what she could do. A bigger question then popped into his head: if the Raidraptor user has to sit out for the tournament, then who was going to be his stand-in? He can’t ask Shinji because he’s a backup member for Team Turbo. Yuto groaned in frustrated stress; Team Noble was in quite a pickle.

But then Yuto had an idea. “Why don’t you ask Yugo?” he suggested. “He’s a good mechanic. Maybe he can figure out what’s wrong with your leg.”

That sounded like a great suggestion. Yugo grew up developing the hands-on skills in mechanics, so no doubt he can determine the cause of the malfunction. He even has Rin to help out with inspecting the leg since she too knows how mechanical construction works. During the time it’s getting repaired, Yuto and Lulu can attempt to find a stand-in member just in case. Shay thanked the eggplant-haired teen for the suggestion, with the latter telling him it was no problem before they headed back into the room.

He broke the news to his family about the leg starting to break down and how he’ll go see Yugo to help fix it. He also recommended his sister that she and her boyfriend look for someone who can be backup for their team in case either of the Obsidian siblings had to sit out.

“Oh no, I’m not sitting out,” Lulu insisted. “I want to take part in this tournament.”

“But you can’t,” Yuto said, giving Lulu’s hand a gentle squeeze. “You might not recover in time.”

“But I have to represent my family,” Lulu explained. “I agreed to form Team Noble to help recover my family’s wealth.”

She wasn’t wrong; even though ObsidianCorp was fully restored along with various components from Heartland City when the Original Dimension returned, the family wealth wasn’t so fortunate. Since their company was sponsoring the tournament, especially because a lot of people will be watching the biggest change in Duel Monsters history known as Team Duels, this may be her chance to help restore their wealthy position, even if it was only a few weeks away.

“Alright,” Yuto decided, knowing he wasn’t going to get passed his girlfriend’s stubborn mindset. “But if you’re still healing by the day of the tournament, you’ll have to sit out.”

“Deal,” Lulu agreed.

At that point, Yuto and the Obsidians’ were told that visiting time was over as Fonda indicated that Lulu needed to continue resting before she starts using her wheelchair. He gave his girlfriend a kiss before everyone else said they’ll see her as much as they can—most likely everyday—throughout out her recovery period. She was content to hear that and was looking forward to seeing them again tomorrow.

As they headed outside to Kameron’s car, Yuto was and wasn’t looking forward to this big change. It’s nice to know Lulu’s dream of being an actress wasn’t ruined and she’ll find ways to act without using her legs, but he was still concerned about her healing time even though the two made a deal. The best he can do for now is to search for a potential fill-in if she does sit out, help Shay warn Zuzu, Celina, and Rin about the lingering Fusion Parasites, and bring him to Yugo and Rin to see what they can do to repair the prosthetic leg. Only time will tell as each member of Team Noble endure their respective challenges for the weeks to come…


	15. Lunalight Serenade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some time after his self-appointed makeover, Yuri decides to ask Celina out on a date as an attempt to woo her. But with her already taking an interest towards Sylvio, how could she survive this date?

“Why, Miss Celina, is that you?” Yuri asked, holding an invisible hand. “Or am I speaking to a disguised angel who became a prettier version of the woman I love?”

Dennis chuckled. “That’s your best line?” he asked. “That sounds like something Yuto would say.”

Yuri let out a frustrated sound. “You are quite right,” he said, flopping onto his bed. “Not even I could make that line sound perfect!”

You know how, on the day Yuri got his hair cut and new clothes, he’ll put his plan into motion the next day? Yeah, about that. It never happened…yet.

For a while now, he has been practicing his butt off in his and Dennis’ shared dorm, trying to be charming while retaining his usual traits. Why else would his new shirt say “I WISH YOU WERE AS INTERESTING AS MY PLANTS” on it? The key factor to this issue is the complimenting one-liners. It has been frustrating him because he can’t seem to find the perfect lines to say to Celina. He’s got the looks and the personality, but why can’t he come up with what to say? If he was trying to be like Yuto, then he was _definitely_ succeeding at doing that.

“What’s wrong with being more like Yuto?” Dennis asked. “He is rather good with the ladies.”

“Except I refuse to stoop to his level!” Yuri explained. “I want to be more like my true self, not some old-fashioned knight!” He groaned. “If only Leo Akaba taught me how to treat ladies with high respect!”

“Why don’t you ask him?” Dennis realized. “He did get married.”

Why didn’t he think about that earlier in the first place? He was so caught up in his frustration that he never bothered asking the one person who taught him how to use etiquette. He bolted up from his bed and turned to face Dennis, telling him that he is a genius; of course, the Shaddoll user replied it is a smart move he came up. With this in mind, the two left their dorm and headed out the male Obelisk Blue dorm building before running towards Leo’s office.

Meanwhile, Leo was staring at ARC-V, thinking about something. He was most likely considering about destroying it after almost fusing the four dimensions back into one just to get Ray back. At the same time, however, he also wanted to reprogram it to use it for a different yet helpful purpose; after all, he did prevent the Yu-Salad and Energy Girls from being erased from existence, with some help from Yugi and Téa. He knows how the machine works by heart and still has the blueprints to make any adjustments if he did want to keep it. This may be his toughest decision yet.

What isn’t a tough decision is helping Yuri out as he heard a knock on the door and a voice saying he and Dennis wanted to talk to him. He walked towards the double doors and opened them, letting the Fusion duo into his office.

“Hello Yuri and Dennis,” Leo said. “What brings you here?”

“I wish to learn how to charm a girl,” Yuri answered. “Since my trusted friend here informed me that you were once married, perhaps you can teach me your ways.”

“You fell for a girl?” Leo asked. “I’m rather surprised. I didn’t know you were interested in dating.”

“I thought so too,” Yuri agreed. “But I recently discovered I have feelings for Miss Celina. I know she is part of your daughter, but-”

“It’s okay,” Leo interrupted. “I have come to accept that Celina and the other three girls are not Ray, so you do not need my blessing.”

“But sir, Yuri only wishes to learn how to make girls fall for him,” Dennis clarified.

It was true. When the two and Sora left the barber shop, a lot of girls were attracted to him. Yuri wished to be a charming and gorgeous individual—obviously not being just like his XYZ counterpart—and maintain those qualities to develop the ability to woo girls based on his personality and looks, especially Celina.

“Very well, Yuri,” Leo said. “I did teach you all about etiquette when you were younger. I suppose it’s time you learn how to properly talk to girls.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Yuri said.

Later that evening, Team Lancer had just finished their training session for the day. Sylvio, Celina, and Aura have all gotten along pretty well throughout the past few days. Their developing bond with each other proved to be useful in establishing teamwork, which will be essential for the tournament.

“I must say, Celina, you’re an amazing team leader,” Sylvio said.

“Yeah,” Aura agreed. “With your help, we might be able to win the whole tournament!”

On the first day of training, Celina agreed to be the team’s leader as part of a decision. She has shown to be useful with her leadership skills ever since, helping out her teammates with determining strategies by utilizing their respective special summoning techniques and using their monsters’ effects to aid one another for battle. She was also a headstrong individual, showing that Team Lancer will never give up and not back down from a challenge. Aura was right; with Celina’s determined and loyal leadership, they may have a chance in claiming victory.

“Thanks, you guys,” Celina happily said, happy to be her real self around true friends.

Just then, a notification alarm went off from Celina’s Duel Disk. She checked it and on the screen showed a text from Yuri, much to her annoyance.

Meet me at Heartland Park tonight for a duel you certainly won’t forget. - <3

“Seriously?” Celina asked. “He’s signing his messages through hearts now?”

“But Celina, I think he’s asking you out on a date,” Sylvio guessed.

“Yeah right,” Celina said. “He probably just wants to annoy me again.”

“But if it is a date, you can’t go looking like that,” Aura said.

When Aura stated that, it was clear she had an outfit for Celina. She invited the Lunalight user to her house to show her what she can wear for the date with Yuri. She browsed through her closet in search for the clothes she had in mind while her friend looked around the bedroom, noticing how nice it was. About a minute later, the Ritual user found the clothes still nicely hung up; she placed it on her bed to see that it is a modified version of Celina’s Duel Academy uniform.

“Where did you get this?” Celina asked, picking up her now-plain uniform jacket.

“Yugo gave it to me,” Aura explained. “He figured you might need it again, so I changed it so it doesn’t look like a uniform anymore.”

This was actually nice of Yugo and Aura to do this for Celina. She hasn’t worn her old uniform since she first met Zuzu. Seeing that her jacket no longer has the designs on it, it will fit her idea of starting a new life rather well. She took her uniform off the bed and headed to the bathroom to get changed. Once it was on, she looked in the mirror to see her reflection; it corresponded with her shoulder-length, bob-shaped hair, basically helping emphasize her new life. She grabbed her usual clothes and headed back to Aura’s bedroom to see what her companion thinks.

“You look absolutely amazing,” Aura said. “But that’s not saying much because you always look amazing.”

Celina smiled at that compliment. “Thanks Aura,” she said. Aura felt like a younger sister to her, especially during moments like this.

Celina was wished good luck on the date as she headed out the door and started walking to Heartland Park. While heading there, she couldn’t stop thinking about what Yuri was scheming this time. How he is going to annoy her this evening? She knows he’ll try to tick her off again, like he always does: setting her up to “lose”, bragging about his Predaplants, engaging in yet another heated argument, and teleporting with his Violet Flash Spell card. It never ends; she wants this cycle of madness to stop because she has found a better dueling rival and wants to inform him about it, but knowing Yuri, anything troublesome was bound to happen.

Eventually, Celina entered through the front gate of Heartland Park, trying to find him. With his cabbage-shaped hairstyle and tacky attire, it should be easy for her to find him from a mile away. She strolled down the pathway to look for him, but surprisingly, he wasn’t there. That’s strange; she knows what he looks like and must know where he is. Then again, he didn’t specify a specific location in the park in the sent text. An annoyed groan escaped her mouth as she continued walking. She soon spotted a figure from afar; it must be Yuri. She picked up the pace a little to ask him what this ordeal is really about.

“There you are!” Celina exclaimed. “You better have a reason for bringing me out…here…”

She noticed Yuri’s haircut looks different from his cabbage style; it was more pushed back with a few stray streaks and even had bangs. His clothes were also more causal than his regular uniform. There was no way this was the same Yuri… Was it?

“Hello Miss Celina,” Yuri said. “I’m glad you could make it this lovely evening.”

Celina snapped out of her trance. “Don’t try to sway me with sweet talk!” she said, taking out her Duel Disk. “I came here to duel you!”

“Well what a pity,” Yuri said. “It seems I forgot my deck and Duel Disk.”

Sylvio and Aura guessed correctly; this was going to be a date and Yuri practically tricked her. If he specified this in the text, she wouldn’t have brought her deck and Duel Disk with her. However, for a tomboy who grew up in Duel Academy, she was confused on what was he pulling.

“You brought me all the way over here to trick me into dating you?!” Celina asked. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t strangle you right now!”

“Of course,” Yuri said. With the wave of his hand, he materialized a single rose. “But for now, you should enjoy this peaceful night.” As he said that, he placed the rose in Celina’s hair.

Celina blushed a tiny bit as the rose was placed through her indigo hair strands while still upset at the fact she was tricked by Yuri. She should have known something this would happen, but she reluctantly agreed to go on this date despite the appearance and apparent personality change.

“Fine,” Celina said. “But if you pull any funny business, I’m bringing out Cat Dancer!”

“Don’t worry, Miss Celina,” Yuri said. “You won’t have to resort to such plans.”

Speaking of plans, Yuri mentioned that he made reservations at a restaurant. Their table was outside, so they were going to have a moonlit dinner. Although it was temptingly interesting, Celina knew what moonlit dinners always meant. Correction: _everyone_ knows this cliché. My god, if spaghetti’s involved, there better not be a kiss while we’re eating it, she complained in her head.

As the two walked over to the restaurant, Yuri tried to reach for Celina’s hand. “What are you doing?” she asked, pulling her hand back.

Yuri was surprised by the reaction. “Goodness, Miss Celina,” he said. “I only want to hold your hand.”

“What for?” Celina asked. “Are you trying to copy my fingerprints?”

Yuri chuckled a bit. “Of course not,” he answered. “Are you not aware of basic dating knowledge?”

Of course she doesn’t. Most of Celina’s life was spent at Duel Academy, proving her strength to Leo. She developed no social skills at that time aside from being more open to Sylvio, Aura, her counterparts, and the other Lancers. And for that matter, she hardly has the proper skills to go out on a date. This is a girl who doesn’t know how to act like one, and Yuri decided to trick her into a date.

Celina’s silence pretty much answered Yuri’s question. “You must learn how to relax,” he said. He held Celina’s hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. “I would say you should let your hair down, but it seems you already have.”

She asked to herself, It took him this long to realize I cut my hair? It was clear she still wasn’t buying what Yuri was doing. He was attempting to be funny while mixing in some flirting, but it wasn’t working.

“So you finally noticed my new hairstyle,” Celina said.

“That is incorrect,” Yuri said. “I noticed it during the festival a few days ago. It certainly is a better fit for you. Much better than that ponytail you initially had.”

Celina sighed, half tempted to roll her eyes, when she notices two people driving. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Yugo and Rin who were driving on their now-completed Duel Runners. From the looks of things, they were driving by the restaurant when they spotted their Fusion counterparts.

“Hi Celina!” Yugo called out as he and Rin zoomed by. “Just going on a date with my amazing and beautiful girlfriend!”

The customers sitting outside of the restaurant stared at Yugo as he and Rin drove by. His voice was loud enough to attract a few indoor customers too. Celina was happy to spot him yet she was wondering if he does this all the time. Yuri explained that the first time he shouted to the world about his girlfriend was a few days ago during the festival and tournament sign-ups. It was actually a good thing he explained this because she, Sylvio, and Aura arrived a bit later than the others to register their team. Suddenly, he almost forgot about their dinner plans, so it was good timing of the Synchro duo to zoom by on their Duel Runners.

“So what are your dinner plans?” Celina asked.

“Nothing special,” Yuri answered. “Only the finest salads the restaurant has to offer.”

Salads?… Just…… Salads?…… Celina knew there has to be other meals Yuri got, but as long as spaghetti isn’t part of the plan, she was relieved to hear that. Don’t get her wrong, she does enjoy having spaghetti, but on a night like this, the last thing she needed was a Lady and the Tramp cliché being pulled, especially with **him** of all people. The two entered the restaurant and approached its host and hostess, with Yuri telling them about the reservations he made.

“Of course, sir,” the host said. “Right this way.”

The two followed the host to a reserved table outside of the restaurant. They were handed their menus and told their waitress will be on her way. As they looked over the different drinks, appetizers, entrées, sides, and desserts, Celina gazed upon the layout of how the restaurant looked. It was well decorated with plants and paintings to help give an Italian feel to it. Even the food and drinks were Italian-based: pizza, pasta, endless soup, salad, and breadsticks, chicken meatballs, Italian soda, etc. She wasn’t sure why this place felt familiar to her; did Yuya and Zuzu went there with their families for dinner one night while the Fusion duo was still fused with their counterparts? She’s been so caught up in her new life that she honestly doesn’t remember.

“Yuri, does this restaurant seem familiar?” Celina asked.

“Of course it is,” Yuri answered. “The Sakakis and Boyles came here to celebrate the return of Yuya’s father.”

Now it was becoming clearer and easier for her to remember. She recognized the details she just saw and knew she had seen them before when she was in Zuzu’s shared mind. A minute later, their waitress showed up.

“What can I get you tonight?” the waitress asked.

“One of your legendary salads,” Yuri answered. “What would you like to have, Miss Celina?”

“Uh…” Celina said. “Just a slice of pizza.” She quickly glanced at Yuri. “And a small salad.”

“Very well,” the waitress said. “Your meal will be available in a few minutes.”

As the waitress went to the kitchen to place their orders, Celina couldn’t help but wonder why Yuri looked and acted different. He still called her “Miss Celina”, so at least there was something that was still the same. Based on the shirt he was wearing, she can tell he still has his Predaplants back at Duel Academy. Another unchanged trait. However, his tone sounded more polite than what she was used to. As a matter of fact, a huge portion of Yuri transformed, from his fashion sense to his…questionable gentlemanly charm. She can’t stop thinking about why he was doing this or what his intention was.

“Hmm?” Yuri mused, noticing Celina was staring at him. “What is it, Miss Celina?”

“Why are you doing this?” Celina asked.

“Doing what?” Yuri asked.

“This,” Celina repeated, gesturing to Yuri. “With your even-layered haircut, plant shirt, and weird behavior. This isn’t like you.”

“Perhaps this is the me I wish to be,” Yuri said. “I feel terrible with what had occurred and I wish to redeem myself. In fact, I don’t even think Yuya’s father completely trusts me.”

Yuri wasn’t wrong about what he was saying. Although Zarc’s darkness that once clouded his judgement was gone and had a change of heart when Yuya was revived, he hasn’t been fully redeemed. Heck, he hasn’t gotten an opportunity to make amends for his past actions until today. He wants to be a better person and he figured this evening was a good time to start.

“But then I saw you, Miss Celina,” Yuri continued. “You have been changing your image as a way to figure out who you really are. You even got rid of that rather unnecessary ponytail. So I realized that if you’re changing yourself for the better, I should do the same thing.”

What Celina doesn’t know is the true reason why Yuri was doing this, so it was very smart of him to not mention it to her. Deep down, he had a feeling his new persona will leave an effect on her and win her heart from Sylvio in no time. No doubt this plan will start working its charm shortly.

Several minutes later, the waitress brought out their dinner: two salads and a slice of pizza. Yuri thanked her before he and his date began eating their meals.

As the two ate, Celina glanced at Yuri. “You think I look better like this?” she asked.

“Certainly,” Yuri answered once he swallowed a forkful of salad. “Why else would I untie your hair?”

“To annoy me,” Celina guessed.

“True, but I always did find that ponytail distracting,” Yuri said. “So when I found out you cut it off, it was such a relief. Your new hair frames your face beautifully.”

Celina blushed at his comment. She never expected Yuri to compliment her new hairstyle, so this was saying something. Her main goal was to restart her life anew after she was separated back into her own body, not to flatter boys. With this still in her head, she quickly regained her composure and snapped out of her brief trance, keeping her claim about focusing on her fresh beginning. Unfortunately, Yuri noticed her reaction; this was a sign that his plan may be starting to work.

“What’s wrong, Miss Celina?” Yuri asked. “Are you not used to people saying how beautiful you are?”

At this point, this may be the first time Celina agreed with him, but she was obviously trying not to show it. Certain people usually compliment her on her dueling skills, so hearing this coming out from Yuri was something that doesn’t happen everyday.

“No…” Celina admitted, glancing down.

“But you are beautiful,” Yuri said, reaching over to cup Celina’s chin and make her look at him. “And a beautiful creature such as yourself should never be so tense.”

Why should she not be tense? Celina wasn’t like most girls her age because of her old lifestyle. She was still getting adjusted to living a simple teenage life and she needed some time to adapt herself into this. A realization soon surfaced in her head; she didn’t want to admit this to Yuri, but she may be thinking that he looked rather handsome. She actually liked how his hair came out. Wait… If Zuzu, Rin, and Lulu loved Yuya, Yugo, and Yuto’s hair, that means she is too. That could only mean one thing: Ray also must have secretly liked Zarc’s hair as well. Does that mean Celina is starting to fall for Yuri?

Yuri noticed Celina’s dazed expression. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“You really think I’m beautiful?” Celina asked, noting that she didn’t feel like this when Sylvio called her by that word. She tried her hardest to maintain herself, but a tiny amount of daze kept slipping out onto her face.

“Of course,” Yuri answered. He retreated his hand. “But we must not let this lovely meal go to waste.”

Celina obliged and the two continued eating their dinner. Hopefully, the salad and pizza can help her try to keep her mind off this discussion; nevertheless, she can’t stop feeling this unusual emotion. She found Sylvio to be a better dueling rival than Yuri, but the Predaplant user was proving himself to be a charming individual… Much like Yuto, but with his own quirks? She can’t even think straight anymore; she notified him that she’ll be using the bathroom, with him responding with an “Okay”. She hussled her way through the crowded restaurant to the female restrooms, where she splashed some water on her face to try and wake herself up from her delusional state.

“What is wrong with me?!” Celina asked aloud. “How can I let myself fall for that guy?! He’s still that same cabbage-haired psycho who carded a lot of people!”

She instantly remembered that his hair no longer resembled a cabbage, the same hair that temporarily attracted her. Fortunately, there was no one in the bathroom, so she cupped her hands over her mouth to let out the biggest scream she can conjure up without having the employees and customers hear it through the wall. Once that was out of her system, she and her reflection stared at each other, baffled at the situation she was in. She wasn’t sure how to get out of it; this may be a rare moment where she may need help.

Back outside at the table, Yuri let out a bit of glee, obviously not going overboard with it like Yugo. He talked to himself about how his plan was truly coming along. “Goodness, Miss Celina,” he said. “You must learn how to control that temper.”

With a slightly cunning tone as he spoke, he schemed about how her temper will soon be her own undoing once she falls for him, officially proving that he will be the one for her and not Sylvio. Never in his life has he had to deal with someone who shared the same romantic interests as him; it was practically criminal! Surely, Celina’s reaction to this before using the bathroom would be strong evidence to use once his plan succeeds.

Meanwhile, in the ladies room, Celina had contacted Aura through her Duel Disk. “And then he started calling me beautiful!” the indigo-haired girl said. “Now he’s making me feel weird!”

“Oh, relax,” Aura reassured. “You’re in love. You should embrace it, especially since your past lives were destined to meet again.”

“But I don’t love Yuri!” Celina insisted. “He might have changed his hair into a more attractive style, but he’s still the same flamboyant psycho!”

“Sounds like you really are falling for him,” Aura said. “Don’t fight fate. If you two were meant to be together, go for it.”

But how can Celina fight fate if she knows it’s greatly contradicting what Aura said? This was overwhelmingly stressful and frustrating for Celina to cope with. Just then, an idea popped into her head, one that suggested her try something out.

“Thanks Aura,” Celina said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The two ended the webcam chat on their Duel Disks before Celina sighed. She couldn’t believe she was actually considering to do this. There was only one way for her to truly know if she is in love with Yuri…and that is to kiss him. She did whatever she could to not throw up from the sheer thought of it. Her plan was to take him back to Heartland Park and find a spot where they can be alone and kiss him; if she feels sparks, she let Aura know she was right. It was basically a battle of fate vs. choice as of now. There was no way to know for sure if this was real love or not until she finds out for herself.

She exited the bathroom and made her way back to the outside table where she and Yuri were sitting at. At the same time, the Predaplant user had already put back on his façade, one that Celina was oblivious about. “Shall we continue our dinner?” he asked.

“Of course,” Celina answered.

The two progressed with their dinner now that Celina was slightly calmer. As she took a bite of her pizza, she seemed more rational with her thoughts and could think clear than she did earlier. All she has to do is endure this date so that she can initiate _her_ plan. All she has to do is trust her instincts and make sure she doesn’t fall for any of his flattery. Then again, what will Sylvio say about what happened tonight? He didn’t seem to mind her being asked out by Yuri, so who knows.

Some time later, the two finished their meal. “So how much was my dinner?” Celina asked, about to take out her wallet.

“It’s okay,” Yuri said, taking out his Duel Academy student card. “Dinner is on me.”

Celina completely forgot that Duel Academy students have cards and can earn points throughout their curricular, which can be used instead of regular money. Her arms went back to their original position after Yuri said he’ll pay for dinner.

“Right…” Celina said. “I forgot about that.”

“It’s alright,” Yuri said. “After all, a true gentleman always pays for the full meal.”

A true gentleman? Sounds more like an exaggeration, she thought to herself as the waitress came by with the bill. After she placed it on the table, Yuri handed her his student card to pay for their meals. She then headed to the restaurant’s debit/credit/student card scanner to print out his receipt.

“So, Miss Celina, are you looking forward to the upcoming tournament?” Yuri asked.

That was a question Celina could answer. “Of course I am,” she answered. “Team Lancer is gonna kick some butt.”

Yuri chuckled in response. “Oh, I wouldn’t be sure about that,” he said. “Team Obelisk is training hard for our debut, especially with our new idea of entertainment.”

“Are you going to scare the crowd with your creepy plants?” Celina jokingly asked.

Yuri knows a sarcastic tone when he hears one and simply replied that it was going to be a surprise, so that means she was going to wait until the day of the tournament to find out what the surprise is.

“Alright,” Celina said. “But you better not pull any funny business.”

The waitress returned with Yuri’s card, his receipt, and a pen to sign it and tip her. After putting his card away and looking at the total amount for the Fusion duo’s dinner, Yuri gave her an 18% tip before exiting the restaurant with Celina to carry on with their date.

Celina let out a sigh. “Are you feeling alright?” Yuri asked.

“We should head back to Heartland Park,” Celina suggested.

“What for…?” Yuri asked.

“It’s a rare peaceful night,” Celina explained. “I want to enjoy it.”

“Very well,” Yuri said. “We can spend some time there.”

The two made their back to Heartland Park to spend the rest of their date there. Celina wasn’t kidding when she said this night was rarely peaceful; there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky as the sun nearly done setting, with the full moon beginning to rise, casting its luminescence all over the city. While walking down the park’s pathway, Celina spotted a hill with a tree on top of it, saying that they should hang out underneath the tree for a while. Yuri agreed and the two traveled up the hill, making themselves comfortable in the tree’s shade.

“You certainly know a lot about the sky,” Yuri commented.

“I did some astronomy classes back in Duel Academy,” Celina recalled. “As a Duelist who uses Lunalights, I wanted to learn about the night sky so I can bring out the best in my duels.”

“How interesting,” Yuri said. “And this evening does seem lovely.”

“That’s nothing,” Celina said. “Check this out.” She lightly touched her forehead. “I activate my Skill: Natural Energy Burst.”

Celina’s En Moons marking began to glow cyan beneath her bangs, causing the moon to look brighter. During the past few days, she and her counterparts recently discovered that they can utilize their Skills outside of a duel by harnessing the energy of their respective symbols; in Celina’s case, she can channel lunar energy.

“So you learned to master your new power,” Yuri said. “How impressive.”

“Zuzu and Rin can do the same thing with their markings,” Celina explained. “Zuzu can make flowers bloom in her presence, while Rin conquers windstorms.”

“What about Lulu?” Yuri asked.

“I’m not really sure,” Celina admitted. “But songbirds seem to fly near her whenever she sings.”

Celina never got the chance to fully see Lulu’s power because she heard she had to get her spinal plates surgically and has to be in a wheelchair once she recovers. However, she did remember seeing the songbirds fly around in this vicinity earlier this week. It also reminded her of the sleepover at her XYZ counterpart’s house where she, Zuzu, and Rin heard her sing a melody back when they were just learning of what their markings can do. She also admitted that she has a nice singing voice.

“Lulu really is a beautiful singer,” Celina recalled. “Almost like a siren.”

“A siren?” Yuri asked. “That must sound annoying.”

“Not that siren!” Celina corrected, turning her head to face Yuri. “A siren from Greek myth…”

As Celina’s looked at Yuri’s face, her eyes were glued onto the him, stuck in a really strong stare. The two soon realize that they are starting to fall for each other, with the brighter moon helping to bring out their best features. Celina developed thoughts in her head that maybe she was wrong about Yuri; sure, he may have carded so many people, but that was because he was given orders by Leo to do so. With the Interdimensional War over and the incarnations officially separated, it was actually nice to know he was seeking redemption. He obviously wasn’t the best dueling rival, but he might as well be suitable enough to be a romantic interest.

In Celina’s point-of-view, not only was she drawn by his new hairstyle, but also his eyes. Originally fuchsia, they were now neon green to match Starving Venom’s eyes. She also noticed his slitted pupils; they usually don’t resemble a dragon or a snake’s pupils, but Yuri seemed to be genuinely in love with her. It was nice to see her in her old Duel Academy uniform, albeit the plain red jacket, and admired her new hairstyle too, but he can’t keep his mind off of the glowing marking on her forehead. The cyan luminosity went rather well with her indigo hair and the moon’s brightness strengthened her beauty.

“My god…” Yuri said, placing his hand on Celina’s cheek. “I never noticed how lovely and elegant you can be.”

“And… I guess you’re not as bad as I thought,” Celina replied as she leaned in.

Were they going to kiss? It definitely looks like it, but since it was their first one, they felt nervous about it. They weren’t sure who was going to make the first move until—out of desperation—Celina ultimately locked lips with Yuri, catching him off guard. He was in the middle of preparing himself to kiss her, so it was quite startling to see her pull something like that. Wait, startling is longer becoming the right word to describe this scenario. It became more astounding, more satisfying, more pleasing. He then caved in and the duo ended up exchanging kisses.

Celina moaned slightly as Yuri started stroking her spine. She responded by reaching up to caress his hair with one hand, tugging lightly on the carefully-layered purple and pink locks. He must have enjoyed this feeling because he nipped on her lower lip. The kiss was slow and gentle, the two savoring every minute of it.

They separated the kiss to get some breath, knowing their plans have backfired. Celina wanted to prove she doesn’t harbor feelings for Yuri when learning she does. Looks like fate wins this round, but what about him? Wasn’t his intention to win her heart? Yes, but it was because he was jealous of Sylvio, believing he was in a relationship with her, but during their kiss, he came to see that the two developed a great friendship with each other, meaning his jealousy got the best of him over nothing. It was kind of embarrassing when you consider the crazy stuff people do for love, but it doesn’t matter to him right now.

Yuri was about to say something, but he couldn’t speak, only blushing heavily. “What’s wrong?” Celina asked.

Yuri cleared his throat. “N-Nothing,” he stammered. “You’re just…” He cleared his throat again. “…an amazing kisser.”

Something about him was peculiar, but in a good way. His nervousness was growing by the second, giving him a seemingly dorky personality. In truth, he was always this way ever since he was a kid. He embraced his strong talent and skills, but his façade of not minding the loneliness was just a mask to hide the fact he never had real friends. Everyone used to fear him as they watched him walk down the halls, unaware that he was incredibly lonesome and wanted some company. This was the first time he not only got to truly connect with someone, but also reveal his real self. Celina noted on how cute his sudden personality change was.

“So this is the real you,” Celina said.

Yuri simply turned his head away, too shy to even speak. “Oh, come on,” Celina said. “What happened to that guy who always praised Leo Akaba?”

Yuri remembered that time back at Duel Academy when he talked to Celina about Leo, rambling on how he idolizes him, only for him to almost get sliced by her Duel Disk, leaving him with a stoic expression as he ducked. He smiled softly at the fond memory.

“I…only made friends with people through Leo,” Yuri admitted. “Thanks to him, I met Dennis and Sora. I always felt comfortable around them, but…”

“Not like this?” Celina asked.

He shook his head “No” and explained how growing up friendless forced him to make it look like he was okay and didn’t mind the loneliness when, in reality, it didn’t.

“So you’re an insecure young teen who hides his tears through smiles,” Celina commented. “Kind of like a certain tomato-haired performer.”

Is she referring to Yuya? Well, aside from him being a lot goofier, friendlier, and more of a performer than Yuri, it appears that she was right about this comparison. Perhaps the two boys aren’t so different after all and he never knew all this time until this very moment

“You’re right,” Yuri realized. “I really am a lot like Yuya Sakaki.”

“And you saw how he was able to overcome his issues,” Celina said. “Maybe you can do the same.”

“I’ll try,” Yuri said, his gaze focused on the ground. “But I’m not sure if people would actually like me.”

Celina placed her hand on Yuri’s cheek, making him look at her. “You’ll do great,” she said. “People might actually like this new, undiscovered side of you.”

This was the first time Yuri was flattered by her compliment. All his life, he grew up from a disguised insecure boy to a former Obelisk Force soldier with high nobility, but now that everything is peaceful, he should also engage in a new lifestyle, one that makes him comfortable. He’ll still have his etiquette, although it did sound relieving to break free from his shell and begin a fresh start. Yuri rarely had a naturally calm smile, so seeing him form a small grin on his face made Celina happy. For the rest of their date, the two stayed snuggled up next to each other, watching the brighter-than-usual moon ascend into the clear and cloudless night sky with stars appearing in scattered places. It was a rarely peaceful night indeed. A night that the Fusion duo will never forget.


	16. Butterfly Connections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Yuto attempts to find a stand-in for Team Noble, he meets a mysterious curator who may or may not be what she seems. Thanks to her, he and Yuya soon learn the truth behind the dimensional split...

With the Team Duel Tournament slowly inching closer to its grand day, all twelve participating teams have been working extremely hard to prepare themselves for the big day. Team Noble, on the other hand, hasn’t been fairing well recently. Lulu was still healing from her back surgery, anxiously and desperately waiting for the day she makes a full recovery, preferably before the tournament starts. Shay made plans to have Yugo check his prosthetic leg; his parents gave him a day off to make sure it gets repaired, so he decided to use it tomorrow. Yuto was also deducing from a list of XYZ Duelists which one will be the team’s stand-in. With all three members forced to face their own problems, they may not be fully prepared to compete.

At the moment, Yuto was getting frustrated. He tried to find good XYZ Duelists to see if any of them would make a good stand-in, but due to Shay and Lulu coming from a high background, anyone he met became too scared, fearing their cards weren’t on the same level as the Obsidian siblings. So right now, things weren’t looking good for him.

As a breather, he decided to go somewhere to take his mind off of this and relax. Maybe the local museum the Yu-Salad went to? At this point, he needed anything to lower his frustration and focus on something else for a little while, so the museum may be the best place to go.

At the museum, Yuto was still a bit upset. His best friend and girlfriend were counting on him to find a stand-in, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want his team to get disqualified, but what could he do?

Frustrated, Yuto pounded his fist against a display case. “I wish there was a way to fix this,” he confessed out loud, leaning his head against the display case. “I wish I could be helpful to my team. I wish…” He let out a frustrated sigh. “I wish things were back to normal!”

“You seem rather distressed.”

Yuto heard an adult female voice and turned around to see where it came from. He noticed a tan-skinned, blue-eyed woman with straight black hair that went below her shoulder and two locks wrapped in gold rings, stopping past her neck. She also had a gold head wear around her head that had an emerald on the front of her forehead. She wore a white, ankle-length dress that partially exposed her shoulders, having black patterns around the neck and rims of the sleeves, and a pair of white flats. She even had some sort of golden Egyptian necklace. Who was this woman? Is she one of the museum’s employees or was she visiting as well?

“Sorry,” Yuto said, stepping away from the display case. “I have a lot on my mind. I’m-”

“You are Yuto Osaku,” the woman said. “The fragment of Zarc Nightstone who is loving and compassionate.”

Yuto was a bit baffled. “How…?”

“My apologies,” the woman said. “I have heard about you and your other selves from the news. You four are taking part in an upcoming tournament, correct?”

Yuto nodded his head, still left a bit speechless on how she easily knew who he was. “Who are you?” he asked.

“I am Ishizu Ishtar,” the woman answered. “I serve as the museum’s curator. I recall seeing your friend, Yuya Sakaki, a while ago in this very room.”

He also remembered that moment as well. He explained to Ishizu that after Yuya was revived, he, Yugo, and Yuri were temporarily fused into the tomato-haired teen’s body, while also indicating about how he went on a tour of Paradise City and was shown the Egyptian exhibit.

“I see,” Ishizu said. “So why have you come to visit?”

“It’s my team,” Yuto answered. “The tournament is in a few days and I’m worried my teammates won’t be able to recover.”

“Because of the injuries they received from the Invasion?” Ishizu asked.

Yuto looked anguished when he heard that, but it was true. He told her about Lulu receiving a huge scar on her back, ended up with temporary spinal plates, and recently got surgery to have them removed. As for Shay, he had his left leg amputated and replaced with a robotic prosthetic and how it’s been on the fritz. As a result, he needs to find a stand-in for their team.

“I cannot blame them,” Ishizu said. “Your best friend and girlfriend had grown up in an elite environment. They had to learn to adapt to harsh conditions. You, on the other hand, were born a commoner, thus the only injury you received was a light scar on your right ear.”

Okay, her knowing who he was and what he was doing was one thing, but how does she even recognize their hardships like it was nothing? Was she psychic or something? Did she witness these events as well?

“How did you know…?” Yuto asked.

“I can see your scar hidden underneath your hair,” Ishizu explained. “I have learned to pay attention to every detail, even the sorrow in your eyes.”

Dang, she was extremely good at deduction. His scar was small and barely noticeable, so having someone with a keen eye and an observing mindset was pretty impressive.

“I can also tell you are nervous about other things,” Ishizu continued. “While a recent formal party assured you that your girlfriend genuinely loves you, you are worried it might not last very long since you two met very recently compared to your other selves. You are also concerned about her not being able to walk again.”

Maybe she was a little too good at observation. How did she even know what he was going through? Yeah, he had met Lulu several months ago and has grown to love her, but with recent complications, he kept finding himself questioning their relationship, even wondering if they would get married at all. He even felt bad about the spontaneous proposal when he first visited her. Has Ishizu been visiting the hospital for the past few weeks? He obviously doesn’t recall seeing her there, so this situation became a bit more baffling.

“I can assure you that everything will work out,” Ishizu said, lightly touching her necklace. “As long as you remain loyal and kind, you will have a bright future with her.”

The necklace began to glow and flashed a bright light, blinding Yuto. In a matter of seconds, he regained his vision to find himself in a church, with a lot of people sitting down. At first, he wasn’t sure what was going on and who these people were until he saw someone that looked like him and was wearing a suit. Is that his adult self?

“Is that…me?” Yuto asked.

There was no denying that this person was an older Yuto, but what was going on and why was he formally dressed up like that? He heard the sound of the church’s double doors opening and turned to see who it was. There was no doubt it was a bride, but he immediately spotted the long, dark purple hair. It was Lulu, and she was…standing? She began to walk down towards the altar as the person played music on the organ. But how is that possible? Fonda said there was a high chance of her not walking and she had to be in a wheelchair.

“This is your future, Yuto Osaku,” Izhizu explained. “You will live a long and happy life with your girlfriend. While it is true that you only met months ago, the love between you two is unbreakable.”

Based on what she said, does that mean he and Lulu will get married? According to the vision, it seemed most likely; even though voices weren’t heard from the people at the church, it was clearly a remarkable ceremony. He couldn’t believe that this was actually his future.

“I do.”

“I do.”

Yuto witnessed the priest declaring his and Lulu’s future selves husband and wife before the two embraced in a kiss, leaving their friends and families overjoyed and some with tears of joy. He was left nonplussed yet relieved and also a bit excited that this was the future that Ishizu predicted.

“So that’s my future,” Yuto said as the vision ended. “I really am going to marry Lulu. How can I make that vision come true?”

“While I cannot tell you everything, I can tell you two things,” Ishizu answered. “First of all, speak to the lilac-haired girl who still believes in fairytales. She will be happy to act as your team’s stand-in. Secondly, the next time you see Yugi Muto, tell him to come to this museum. I wish to talk to him about something that should have occurred years ago.”

The lilac-haired girl who still believes in fairytales… Is she referring to Sarah Glitters? Does she know she’ll be a perfect backup member of Team Noble? It sure sounds like it. Sarah and Lulu were great friends, so she actually may be the perfect choice for her to fill in the Lyrilusc user’s place. Also, who was Yugi Muto? His name sounds familiar; although Yuto was within Yuya’s merging mind, he may have had an idea of what his appearance was, but he might need to bring Yuya along to help find him just in case.

“Thank you,” Yuto said. But he was about to leave the museum when Ishizu placed her hand on his shoulder.

“There is one last thing I must tell you,” Ishizu said. “Lono is very proud of what you have done.”

Yuto raised both eyebrows in astonishment. All this time, he believed he never got to fulfill his mother’s last words and had let her down. Seeing where he currently was, from helping Yuya end the War to getting a job at ObsidianCorp, he realized Lono has always been proud of his achievements. He thanked Ishizu again for the kind words before leaving the museum to fulfill the two things that needed to be done. Since there was no school today, he can rule out Heartland Duel School as one of the places to look, but where was Sarah? If he had his Duel Disk with him, he could contact her, but he had the search for her the old-fashioned way.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Sarah was visiting Lulu, who was still recovering from her surgery. She was healing at a steady pace, but she was uncertain if her back would be fully healed before the tournament begins.

“Shay is going to get his leg checked tomorrow,” Sarah informed. “He’ll still be able to take part in the tournament.”

“I hope I can recover by then,” Lulu sadly said. “My family chose to sponsor for the tournament to help improve our fortune. Being on that field and representing the Obsidian name is important.”

“I know,” Sarah said, gently squeezing Lulu’s hand. “I might not understand what you’re going through, but you have my full support.”

Sarah then asked how Yuto’s been doing during the past few weeks and learned that he was struggling with finding a stand-in for Team Noble in case Lulu doesn’t heal in time. He’s requested as many Duelists as possible in the conglomerate of Domino City, New Domino City, Heartland, and Paradise City, but so far he had no luck. Right now, he was trying to de-stress for a while before resuming with his objective.

“Poor guy,” Sarah said, sounding concerned. “The stress must be getting to him.”

Just then, approaching footsteps were heard from outside of Lulu’s recovery room. As they got closer, a figure appeared in front of the room. It was Yuto; “speak of the devil”, as the old saying goes. Lulu and Sarah were both glad to see him; the dark purple-haired girl wished she could give him a hug if it weren’t for her spinal scars. Nonetheless, the girls mentioned that they were talking about him and were worried if he was going to be alright. It was almost as if his instincts felt two people discussing a topic regarding him.

“Hi Yuto,” Sarah said. “What brings you here?”

“Sarah, I’m so glad I found you,” Yuto said. “Would you like to be Team Noble’s stand-in?”

That was a question Sarah didn’t expect to hear. He must’ve asked hundreds—or even thousands—of Duelists the same request, but it never occurred to him to ask her? Regardless, she happily responded that she would; since she rarely duels, this was an opportunity for her to use her Fairy Tails again. She was also curious as to why Yuto suddenly asked her with only a few days left until the first day of the tournament.

“Why me?” Sarah asked.

“I remember seeing your strategies in the dueling club,” Yuto answered. “Your Fairy Tail deck is amazing and I want everyone to see them in action.”

She recalled those rare moments when she did duel a few times in the dueling club. She worked as hard as she could to perfect her strategies ever since the day she first got her Fairy Tails. With her regained confidence during Yuya’s time in the XYZ Dimension, she will be a prefect backup player for her team, especially helping out her friend win the tournament and represent the Obsidian family.

“Okay,” Sarah said. “I’ll do it.”

“Great!” Yuto exclaimed, sounding too happy. “Now can anyone send a message to Yuya? I need him to locate someone named Yugi Muto.”

The two girls’ eyes widened when Yuto said Yugi’s name. Sarah has never heard of him before, but he and Lulu both explained that their Pendulum counterparts met him when they went to the Fusion Dimension to have Leo initiate the separation procedure early due to the sudden mind merge. They both have an idea of what he looks like, but Yuya and Zuzu know him better than the XYZ duo, so that was why the tomato-haired teen needed to be notified. Fortunately, the spectacled girl brought her Duel Disk with her and said she’ll message Yuya to help Yuto find Yugi.

“Thanks Sarah,” Yuto said. “This is what Yuya needs to know.”

Meanwhile, at the Sakaki residence, Yuya was skimming through his Performapal, Odd-Eyes, and Magician cards, memorizing the strategies he, Zuzu, and Gong came up with. They made great progress with their training, especially considering the fact that he and his pink-haired girlfriend have both excelled in using their Skills, both in and out of a duel. He stopped scanning through his deck to see Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and softly smiled while his eyes grew determined. They will soon be ready to start bringing smiles to the audience now that everything is officially peaceful. His deep thinking was cut off when a notification alarm sounded from his Duel Disk. He went to his nightstand and grabbed the Duel Disk to see who was messaging him.

Yuya’s eyes widened as he read the message. “Someone wants to speak to Yugi at the museum?” he mused. “But why?”

Whatever was going on, it was clear Yuto needed his help in locating him. He replied to the text, asking Sarah where his XYZ counterpart is and where they should meet up. After clicking “Send”, he organized his cards and placed them back into his Duel Disk, then he started putting his shoes on.

“Mom, I’m heading over to meet up with Yuto!” Yuya called out.

Yoko replied that he should make sure he returns before dinner, with her son saying that he will upon leaving his bedroom, bringing his Duel Disk with him to see if Sarah responded. Back at the hospital, she received Yuya’s message, saying he’s on his way, where Yuto is, and if they should meet up somewhere.

“How about telling Yuya to meet him at that small game shop?” Lulu suggested. “Celina said it originated from the Fusion Dimension.”

“Small game shop…?” Sarah asked. “You mean Kame Game Shop?”

“Yeah, that’s the one,” Lulu answered.

As Sarah responded to Yuya’s text, Yuto thought that was an interesting place to meet up. He figured that’s where Yugi lives, but since all eight counterparts, especially Yuya and Zuzu, were frantically finding a way to get to Duel Academy and the Pendulum duo conveniently stopped by at Kame Game Shop, he might need to ask someone in the Fusion Dimension for directions. With this in mind, he made his decision to head to the Domino City portion of the mashed-up unnamed city immediately; after all, Ishizu most likely had something important to say to the tri-color-haired man.

“Ishizu sounded a bit concerned when she told me she needed to speak to Yugi,” Yuto recalled. “I hope what she needs to tell him is important.”

Before Yuto left the hospital, he quickly explained to the girls that Ishizu was the museum’s curator who also knew about Zarc, Ray, and their reincarnations from the news, just to be sure they weren’t confused. He said he’ll explain more when he returns with the Obsidians, resulting in Lulu nodding her head and saying she’ll see him later and Sarah stating she’s looking forward to the tournament. Yuto waved goodbye as he headed down the hall towards the elevator. With a click of the “Floor 1” button, it brought him down to the main lobby at a steady pace. He departed through the automatic doors and proceeded to run down the sidewalk to meet up with his cousin.

Some time later, Yuto arrived at the Domino City section of the city; at one point, he chose to take the bus because it was most likely a far walk to there from the Paradise City section now that all four dimensions merged back into one. After being dropped off at one of the bus stops, he had to find someone to ask for directions to Kame Game Shop. He had a feeling of what path Yuya and Zuzu took to get there, but he wanted to be sure. He began running again through the streets of the Domino City section to look for the first person he sees.

“Excuse me?” Yuto asked a brown-haired teen wearing a green hoodie. “Where’s Kame Game Shop from here?”

“Right down the block,” the teen answered, speaking in a gruff tone.

Yuto thanked the teen as he made his way down the block. He wasn’t kidding because the closer Phantom Knight user got to the game shop, the easier it was to recognize Yuya. Then again, it isn’t hard to lose him due to his tomato-shaped haircut, Odd-Eyed-colored irises, his goggles with a light blue star on the right lens, and his main appearance in general. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack…except the needle sticks out like a sore thumb.

“Hey Yuto,” Yuya said, happy to see his cousin. “This is Kame Game Shop.”

“Great,” Yuto said, relieved. “Now we just have to find this Yugi person.”

“Yeah… About that…” Yuya said as he and Yuto entered the shop.

Their search was going to be the shortest they ever went on because little does Yuto know is that Yugi lives and works there. Lately the shop has been a hit because he was selling vintage cards, which have become a popular trend throughout the city; how else was Zuzu able to obtain a vintage Polymerization card for Rin?

“Welcome to Kame Game Shop,” Yugi said. “How may I- Hey there, Yuya. Long time, no see.”

“Thanks Yugi,” Yuya happily said. “Glad to see you too.”

Not long after the Original Dimension returned, Yugi managed to keep in touch with his high school friends. He has also gotten much happier as his eyes are more open and no longer glazed. He noticed the eggplant-haired teen that looked very similar to Yuya although he was wearing glasses.

“I think I saw you before,” Yugi said. “You’re Yuto Osaku.”

“Correct,” Yuto answered. “I’m Yuya’s cousin.”

“Cousin?” Yugi asked. “Is that what you interdimensional counterparts are calling each other?”

“No, just me and Yuto,” Yuya explained. “Turns out our moms are sisters.”

Yugi was surprised to hear this revelation; he never thought those two were actually related. He was also informed about how their mothers were also residents of the Original Dimension before the split occurred. Speaking of past events, he shared his mournful words to Yuto about what happened to Lono since he now had an understanding of the Interdimensional War. He thanked the tri-color-haired man for his sympathy and explained how he, the Obsidians, and the Sakakis attended a quick, private funeral because he never had time to mourn her death until a few weeks ago. Naturally, Yugi understood what Yuto meant by that. With side talks done with, he asked why the two cousins stopped by.

“Ishizu Ishtar, the museum’s curator, wants to speak to you,” Yuto answered. “She didn’t say why, but that I had to bring you to her.”

Yuto also noted that she was a bit concerned about what she wants to say and it was also really important. He assumed it probably had something to do with the Egyptian exhibit the Yu-Salad checked out a while ago since he visited there earlier. Yugi was intrigued by this exhibit Yuto mentioned; he’s heard of it from a few people, but he never got a chance to see it for himself because of him working.

“Wait…” Yugi realized. “How did she know my name?”

“I’m not sure,” Yuto answered. “But my cousin and I better come with you just in case.”

“Huh?! How did I get wrapped-up in this?!” Yuya asked.

Yuto told Yuya that something this important might have a possibility of them also being involved, so it never hurts to tag along and find out for themselves. Besides, Yugi has never been to that part of the city ever since Zarc’s attack and the dimensional split, and the two are the only ones that can help bring him to the museum since they know how to get there from here.

“You are right about us being involved,” Yuya said. “Who knows what else Zarc did when he was whole.”

The Yu-trio all agreed to head over to the museum immediately, with Yugi hanging up a sign on the door saying what time he’ll be back. As they walked down the street, Yuto remarked on how he took the bus to meet up with his cousin, which means they’ll be heading towards the same bus stop that dropped him off. In all honesty, it definitely beats running several miles to Kame Game Shop in Yuya’s opinion, even if the run was beneficial for his health. The three had already passed the spot where the brown-haired teen was; he probably went off somewhere, trying to find his insect-loving rival. A few minutes later, they reached the bus stop and waited for the next bus to take them to the Paradise City section.

During the bus ride, Yuto noticed Yugi was inspecting him. “Can I help you?” the eggplant-haired teen asked.

“You feel…familiar for some reason,” Yugi confessed. “Almost like something is missing.”

Yuto wondered what Yugi means and why he said something like that. Is he trying to remember an event or a specific person; well, he knows who Zarc was, what he did, and the aftermath of his onslaught, so it obviously couldn’t be that. Ruling that out still left an igniting question: what quality does Yuto possess that felt familiar to their companion?

“How come?” Yuto asked.

“Seeing you seems to trigger a voice calling out to me,” Yugi answered. “An ancient, powerful voice.”

An ancient, powerful voice? Why would Yuto trigger it? Was it because he has something in common with it? Was his knightly, noble, loyal, and determined demeanor similar to it? Whatever the case was, it made him have more questions than answers. Hopefully, their conversation with Ishizu can help clarify things.

Yuya noticed his cousin’s confused expression. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I’m sure this Ishizu woman has a good explanation.”

Yuto looked at Yuya when he spoke, only to have his face change into a more “I hope so, too” expression. He wondered if this parallel between him and the voice is connected to what the museum’s curator had to say. During that time, the bus dropped him, his cousin, and Yugi off at one of the bus stops in the Paradise City section. Coincidentally, it was the same bus stop that Yuto was at. Now they just need to figure out how to get to the museum.

“This area of the city isn’t that different from Paradise City,” Yuya said. “I know where the museum is from here.”

Yuya led the way as the two headed downtown to the museum. As they walked, Yugi looked on his left and right to see the city section’s different views. As a citizen of the Original Dimension who grew up in its Fusion reincarnation, he has never been to Yuya’s hometown (at least, something very similar to it), so this was all new to him. The buildings were constructed in a way that greatly contradicted how his hometown was structured; it actually felt more like a city. Their stroll through the downtown portion left him awestruck; he couldn’t believe how beautiful it appeared. Once the talk with Ishizu was done, he may have to schedule a day to visit the Paradise City section.

Pretty soon, the Yu-trio arrived at the museum. They climbed up some set of stairs before entering through the double doors. Inside the building, Yuya tried to look for Ishizu, but Yuto decided to take over since he knows what she looks like and will most likely meet up with her at the Egyptian exhibit. Yugi followed the two cousins through the museum until they reached the exhibit. Sure enough, the curator was still there, waiting for them.

“Hello Yugi Muto,” Ishizu said. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“You must be Ishizu Ishtar,” Yugi said. “What is it you wished to tell me?”

“It is rather simple,” Ishizu answered. She glanced at Yuya and Yuto. “Yuya Sakaki and Yuto Osaku, you were never meant to exist.”

Yuya and Yuto were both taken back by what she said, with wide eyes and dropped jaws. All this time, they weren’t meant to exist? But why? What event caused them to even be around in the first place?

“You’re kidding!” Yuya exclaimed as Yuto clenched his fists in anger.

“No, I am not,” Ishizu explained. “And neither were the other six counterparts. It was always supposed to be Zarc Nightstone and Ray Akaba. When I heard the Millennium Puzzle was discovered, I was able to see a series of events unfold before me. It was a straightforward timeline with two separate futures: a world with Synchros and a world with XYZs.” She lightly touched her necklace.

Before the Yu-trio knew it, they were blinded by a light that emanated from the necklace. They regained their vision to see an island with some sort of castle; was this part of this timeline they were told about? In the island were a bunch of Duelists scattered around the island engaging in duels, but there was one group in particular that they spotted. They noticed Yugi and Téa with their friends, which the tri-color-haired man immediately recognized as Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor, leaving them speechless as what they’re witnessing.

“You recognize those people?” Yuya asked.

“Of course,” Yugi said, sounding happy. “Those are my friends!”

“Then what is this place?” Yuto asked.

“I’m not sure,” Yugi admitted. “I never went to a place like this.”

They soon were whisked away into a city in Japan, where a tournament was taking place; they saw someone that looked like Yugi dueling against a mind-controlled mime wielding a powerful monster. From the looks of things, he activated Brain Control to take control of the mime’s token, causing an endless loop of drawing cards that let him win the duel and obtaining a monster card called Slifer the Sky Dragon. Of course, the person controlling the mime’s mind wasn’t very happy, which was later revealed on who he was as the Yu-trio then saw a blimp flying over the city. In it, Joey had won a duel against a bald Egyptian man, who had just fell unconscious, resulting in the darkness taking over his adopted brother named Marik Ishtar.

This villain, dubbed Yami Marik, was the main threat for Yugi and his friends as Seto Kaiba’s Battle City Tournament progressed with its finals, before getting sidetracked by five former KaibaCorp employees and a green-haired kid. They soon witnessed another duel going on, with Yugi’s look-alike and Kaiba going against an Atlantean person, who was the leader of an organization and the creator of a very powerful Spell card called the Seal of Orichalcos, which was capable of capturing the loser’s soul to help reawaken an ancient leviathan. They also got a glimpse at a tournament being held in KaibaLand somewhere in America, where a pink-haired teen from Kaiba’s past released a virus that removed a lot of his rival company’s files. Finally, they saw a Shadow RPG between the Yugi look-alike and a sinister white-haired thief; as it turns out, the two were spirits from Ancient Egypt and a quest to regain the pharaoh’s lost memories, leading to a Ceremonial Battle between Yugi and his other self, which was revealed to be Atem.

With that, another bright light flashed in front of Yuya, Yuto, and the adult Yugi, bringing them back to the museum and leaving them stunned at the set of events that should have unfolded years ago and how it affected the future.

“Those events led to many bright futures,” Ishizu continued. “And many more Duelists became great heroes, including a bi teen named Jaden Yuki, a motorcyclist named Yusei Fudo, and a soon-to-be explorer named Yuma Tsukamo. If it wasn’t for you, Yugi Muto, those Duelists wouldn’t have been inspired.”

“But what happened that caused that to change?” Yuya asked. “And what does this have to do with me and my cousin?”

Ishizu brought the three over to the golden box that supposedly contained the ancient puzzle. “It was when Solomon Muto donated the Millennium Puzzle to the museum,” she answered.

“My grandpa?” Yugi asked. “I don’t remember him having a puzzle.”

“You were very young when it happened,” Ishizu explained. “Solomon heard about the explorers who died trying to find the Puzzle, so when he obtained it, he feared for your life if you were to accidentally come across it. He thought donating it to the museum would keep you safe.”

Yugi leaned forward to read what the hieroglyphics said in the box, which said, “The one who solves me shall gain the powers and knowledge of darkness…” He understood that his grandpa did this for his safety, but he was in disbelief that the Millennium Puzzle never made him into the more confident person that he saw his younger self become. The explorers must have died because they may not have been considered worthy of owning the Puzzle. He stared at the box containing the pieces of one of the Millennium Items, with a sad look on his eyes. He muttered out Atem’s name because the two would have been amazing partners, much like brothers.

“So what lead to this timeline?” Yuto asked.

“In the original timeline, Seto Kaiba had scheduled to meet up with Leo Akaba in hopes of improving Duel Monsters,” Ishizu answered. “But due to complications, the meeting was canceled.”

“What complications?” Yugi asked.

“Your grandfather’s Blue-Eyes White Dragon,” Ishizu explained.

Yugi was surprised. “But why?” he asked. “That card is still in the shop. I never took it out of the box grandpa put it in because of how much it meant to him.”

“Then how about I show you instead?” Ishizu replied, her necklace glowing once more.

The trio was then brought to a vision of where he and his high school friends were at Kame Game Shop when Kaiba showed up. He wanted to have Solomon’s Blue-Eyes White Dragon because there were only four in existence, but despite the offer of a suitcase of Duel Monsters, Solomon rejected the offer because of the connection he had with it. Later, the tri-color-haired man was seen the aftermath of what happened. He and his friends were mad at Kaiba for hurting Solomon after winning the duel against him. Just then, he took out a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card from his pants pocket.

“And look at the sweet prize I won,” Kaiba said as he ripped the card in half, leaving everyone shocked at what he did.

“Grandpa’s most treasured card!” the teenage Yugi exclaimed in total incredulity. His alternate adult self also watched as the events unfolded, much to his initial dismay.

“Why are you showing me this?!” Yugi asked Ishizu, tears forming from his eyes.

“Wait, I think there’s more,” Yuya said. But Yuto remained quiet, almost as if he was thinking about something.

The three saw teenage Yugi being handed the deck Solomon used, with the latter reminding his grandson to believe in the heart of the cards. As Joey, Tristan, and Téa escorted his grandfather to the hospital, the Millennium Puzzle started to glow; it looked like he was transforming.

In a flash of bright light, standing in Yugi’s place was Atem, under the alias of Yami Yugi prior to recovering his memories. This left Kaiba startled at the transformation while the Yu-trio were more amazed. Well…almost.

Yuya had to cover his mouth to muffle a laugh. “What?” Yuto asked.

“Wow, Yugi,” Yuya said. “Are you some kind of magical girl in this timeline?”

Yugi blushed out of embarrassment; there was no way he would be considered a magical girl—or a magical boy, technically speaking—in that timeline. …Could he? He brushed off the thought as he, Yuya, and Yuto witnessed Kaiba and Atem’s first duel; the rules to Duel Monsters were a bit different at that time before Battle City, so the cousins were a little confused. Regardless, they watched as the resurrected pharaoh was backed into a corner now that his opponent had summoned his three Blue-Eyes White Dragon, leaving them worried. Fortunately, their worries subsided when a victory move was about to be made that would construct the path to Yugi’s legacy.

“Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Yugi,” Kaiba said, sounding a bit impatient.

“My grandpa has no pathetic cards,” Atem said. “But he does have…” He revealed a card. “The unstoppable Exodia.”

Yuya was greatly confused. “Exodia…?” he asked. “Never heard of that card…”

“Not one card,” Yugi explained. “Five.”

He explained that there are five cards that create Exodia the Forbidden One: two arms, two legs, and a head. If you have all five of them in your hand, you automatically win the duel. Yuya and Yuto were dumbfounded at the fact that a monster existed with such an unbeatable effect. One might say it was basically invincible.

“That sounds a bit unfair,” Yuya admitted.

“I guess the rules really were different back then,” Yuto speculated, sounding a bit sad as his fists were clenched.

He was right; Duel Monsters had completely different rules when it was becoming popular. Back then, Duelists had 2000 LP and can summon high level monsters without tributing. At the same time, however, he couldn’t stop thinking about what Ishizu said earlier. If he was never meant to exist, then what was the point of having a happy future with Lulu?

As the vision continued, Atem had just places all five Exodia cards in the monster zones. An aquamarine star appeared on the duel field, with arms and legs coming out of it before revealing a head and out came the Forbidden One. Kaiba stood there in fear as the winning move was about to be declared.

“Exodia, obliterate!” yelled out Atem.

With that, the unstoppable monster blasted away the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons as Kaiba screamed, bringing his LP down to 0. Off in the distance, his younger brother Mokuba was having a hard time comprehending that his older brother just lost a duel.

“This can’t be right…” Yugi said. “In my timeline, Kaiba was unbeatable. How could I…?”

“There’s more,” Ishizu spoke, her voice heard inside their heads.

Yugi, Yuya, and Yuto continued watching to see what she means. They noticed a symbol appearing on Atem’s forehead that resembled the eye on the Millennium Puzzle.

“Mind Crush!”

With the Punishment Game given to Kaiba, he fell to his knees, opening a gate that would lead him to become Yugi’s greatest rival.

Meanwhile, at Leo Corporation…

“Mr. Akaba, I just received a call from KaibaCorp,” an employee said. “Seto Kaiba has canceled the meeting due to suddenly falling ill.”

“I see…” Leo said. He let out a sad sigh. “I hope he recovers. I wanted to see if he could help me add mass to the current Solid Vision technology.”

A bright light flashed in front of Yugi, Yuya, and Yuto’s eyes yet again, bringing them back to the museum with Ishizu standing not too far away from the display case. They were all very confused, especially, the cousins, on why it abruptly cut over to Leo Corporation.

“On that day, Action Duels were never developed,” Ishizu explained. “Leo Corporation was soon forgotten as KaibaCorp became successful. But all was not lost. During the events of Battle City, Ray Akaba met a boy named Michael Lindonson, and over time the two became friends, which soon blossomed into romance and eventually became marriage.”

That name struck a cord with Yuya and Yuto. “That must have been Zarc’s real name,” Yuya realized.

“Correct,” Ishizu said. “But without that fixed point, Seto Kaiba was able to have his meeting with Leo, allowing Action Duels to trend. But because Seto first demonstrated Action Duels through rather violent strategies, that became the new trend, leading to Zarc Nightstone destroying the world.”

Yugi definitely remembered that part because he was there when the attack happened. Prior to the end of the world, he had also heard the news of Kaiba and Leo releasing Action Duels to the public. Although they were enjoyable to everyone, he felt something was off about them. He wasn’t the kind of person who likes violence, so he preferred not to conform to the social norm, which were violent duels.

“But there is more,” Ishizu continued. “Originally the Natural Energy Cards were only supposed to free Zarc from the corruption of his dragons. But by that point the timeline was severely damaged, so the four dimensions were created as an attempt to maintain reality, something that not even the Akabas were aware of. As a result, duplicates of various people from the original timeline were created among the confusion.”

“Then how come I never heard of Kaiba?” Yuya asked. “If Yugi knew about him, I should have seen him in the Fusion Dimension.”

“You have,” Ishizu answered. “His name is Declan Akaba.”

Now **_THAT_** was a twist the Yu-trio didn’t expect to learn about. A highly flabbergasted Yuya was very puzzled on how that was even possible. For the Yu-Salad and Energy Girls, it was understandable, but there may be more counterparts than he thought. Confusion kept racing in his mind and felt like he was going to pass out, with Yugi and Yuto helping him not faint. The tomato-haired teen then barely managed to regain his composure.

“But I saw Kaiba from those visions!” Yuya pointed out. “He looks nothing like Declan!”

“Correct,” Ishizu said. “But when the four dimensions were created, Seto Kaiba was erased from existence, resulting in Declan Akaba being created to take his place. I am not sure why that occurred, but I suspect it was reincarnation.”

Yuya felt like he needed time to process what he was discovering so far while Yuto was still saddened about how he was never meant to have a happy future after all. There were so many pros and cons to the two differing timelines that they don’t know if them existing really was pointless. They weren’t having suicidal thoughts, don’t worry; they were just wondering what was the point of the Interdimensional War if Yugi was destined to have the Millennium Puzzle.

“So you’re saying this is all because someone decided to protect his grandson?” Yuto asked, shaking in rage. “IT’S ALL HIS FAULT?”

Yuya tried to comfort his cousin, but Yugi wasn’t sure if it was a good idea at the moment and recommended waiting until Yuto calmed down a bit. At the same time, Ishizu was wasn’t expecting the sudden mood change from the eggplant-haired teen.

“You said I was going to have a happy future with my girlfriend!” Yuto told Ishizu. “Why did you show me that vision if I wasn’t supposed to exist?!”

Ishizu honestly wasn’t sure how to respond the situation, but she did feel bad about Yuto learning this discovery. The best she could do right now is to try and help him relax. “I only wanted you to bring Yugi Muto to the museum,” she said. “You and your cousin were never meant to hear this.”

“But I’m here!” Yuto exclaimed, tears coming from his eyes due to conflicting emotions. “What am I?! Why was I created?!”

Ishizu was silent for a few seconds, but she ultimately spoke. “You and the other counterparts were originally supposed to recreate the four original heroes and their love interests,” she explained. “It was the only way to prevent the timeline from collapsing, but Zarc quickly realized what had happened, so he vowed to not let his legacy be forgotten.”

With tears still pouring from his eyes, Yuto slowly began to understand the true reasoning behind the Yu-Salad’s Awakenings. They were signs of Zarc wanting to reawaken his legacy, which explained the dark aura that sometimes emitted from Yuya and Yuri. The darkness was that desire to pick up where he left off. To continue his reign of terror all across the dimensions. To bring fear to everyone with only one single purpose: winning.

“Then that’s all I am,” Yuto realized, looking at his clenched fist. “Nothing more than a puppet for someone else’s enjoyment.”

“Yuto…” Yuya said, sounding concerned.

Suddenly, Yuto took off his Duel Disk and gave it to Yuya. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But I can’t take part in the tournament.” Then before his cousin could say anything else, he ran out of the museum, heartbroken with the revelation.

Yuya, Yugi, and Ishizu were all concerned about Yuto and how what he has discovered will affect him. They should take action as quickly as possible, but they weren’t sure how. The tomato-haired teen looked down at the Duel Disk his cousin gave him. As a lonely and timid child, he had no interests in Duel Monsters and only had his Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon, which led him to playing the card game. Does that mean Yuto was thinking about not dueling anymore? The thought of it made Yuya upset.

“I better speak to Shay about this,” Yuya said, clutching his cousin’s Duel Disk. “I can’t stand seeing Yuto this upset.”


	17. Fallen Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feeling bad for Yuto due to events from the previous chapter, Yuya contacts Shay and Yuri for help. With Yugo tagging along, they attempt to regain Yuto's love of dueling and remind him of why it's so important to him.

“Alright Shay,” Yugo said. “Before we begin, I need you to take off your pants.”

It was the next day and Shay was spending the day off from ObsidianCorp to have his prosthetic leg inspected. Taking part in the Team Duel Tournament that’s being sponsored by his family’s company was important to him, much like how it means to Lulu, so having it fixed before the first day should be no problem. Of course, before that happened, he questioned Yugo on why he should take his pants off when he could simply roll the leg sleeve up, with the latter explaining that it helps him a lot more if the whole leg was exposed. He obliged and undid the button and zipper of his pants before removing them off his legs, leaving him with his boxers as his bottoms for his appointment. Now the Synchro Duelist can get to work and see what was causing the robotic prosthetic to malfunction.

Yugo opened a small panel near the ankle to reveal the leg’s interior. “Hmm….” he muttered as he inspected the prosthetic.

“Did you figure something out?” Shay asked.

Yugo poked the ankle. “I think so,” he answered. “The small springs near your ankle look worn.”

“Is that bad?” Shay asked.

“It could cause some balance issues,” Yugo explained. “But as long as you haven’t done a lot of vigorous moments, you should be fine.”

Oh, how was Shay going to explain this to Yugo? All the reckless moments from the War must have worn out the springs, from the duels to the running, jumping, and fighting. And who could ever forget those moments with him tumbling down the stairs? If he hadn’t lost to Sora, he never would have constantly encountered those blunders with the stairs.

“I have,” Shay said. “I guess that’s why I kept on losing my balance a lot.”

“That’s probably what happened,” Yugo said. “But not to worry. This is an easy fix.” He called out to his friend. “Shinji, do you have any extra small springs?”

“I think so,” Shinji called back. “Check the dark green toolbox.”

“Thanks!” Yugo said. He looked back at Shay. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Yugo headed upstairs of the garage to get the springs from the toolbox. As Shay waited, a message popped up on his Duel Disk. Upon checking it, he noticed it was from Yuya, who was asking if he had any free time today to talk to him about Yuto and how he might quit dueling.

“Okay, I found the springs,” Yugo happily said, carrying in a dark green toolbox. “Now to fix your leg.” He was about to begin the procedure when… “Do you mind taking out your earpiece?”

“Sorry,” Shay said, taking out a small earpiece from his left ear.

“Good,” Yugo said. “Now I shouldn’t have to worry about unexpected movements.”

Shay always had an earpiece in his left ear, which was hidden underneath his hair. Its main purpose was to transfer brainwaves from his brain to the leg to help him move. After taking it out, he handed it to Yugo and placed it on top of a nearby table.

“So why’d you check your Duel Disk?” Yugo asked as he worked on the spring replacement procedure.

“I got a message from Yuya,” Shay answered. “He said Yuto is thinking about quitting dueling.”

Yugo scoffed at that. “Good one,” he said.

“I’m not joking,” Shay said. “Yuto might actually give up Duel Monsters.”

This time, Yugo was surprised to hear that, mostly because Shay is usually not the type of person to joke around. He asked why Yuto is suddenly considering on not dueling. The Raidraptor user said that he wasn’t sure, but he was going to notify Yuya to explain everything to him after his leg gets fixed.

“This doesn’t sound like Yoot,” Yugo said. “From what he said, dueling is what made him what he is now.”

“I know,” Shay agreed, sounding a bit concerned. “I hope Yuya has a good explanation.”

Yugo carried on with the procedure, using a few tools he also got from the toolbox to try and get the rusted springs out. A couple of them were a bit stubborn because the rust made it trickier for him to remove them. Eventually, he got the more worn out springs detached from the leg and finished with the easier ones.

“Whew!” Yugo said. “That was the hard part. Now to put the new springs in.”

Grabbing the tiny pile of the new springs, he attached them into the empty slots that held the old ones since the day he got this prosthetic leg. The slight problem is they occasionally slip out as he placed them in; sometimes, they even fall to the floor, prompting Yugo to find them in case they go missing. Several minutes later, he completed the procedure and handed Shay back his earpiece.

“That should take care of it,” Yugo said, happy with his handiwork as he closed the ankle panel. “Why don’t you give it a test walk?”

Shay placed his earpiece back into his left ear before hiding it under his hair again. After putting his pants back on, he moved his right leg forward to begin walking; his brain was thinking about walking and it transmitted waves to earpiece, causing his robotic leg to respond by moving forward as well. He found himself walking all over the garage without any balance problems, meaning the procedure was a success.

“Not bad,” Shay commented. “The movements feel a lot smoother.”

“I oiled some of the hinges,” Yugo explained. “Hopefully the metal should stop grating.”

Shay was impressed with the results; he was now ready to take part in the tournament. Before he forgets, he walked over to the table that had his Duel Disk and replied to Yuya where he should meet up with him to learn why Yuto wants to stop his dueling career. After clicking “Send” he thanked Yugo for the assistance and will be looking forward to seeing him at the tournament. The Synchro Duelist answered that the feeling’s mutual as the former left the garage.

While walking out of the garage and leaving the New Domino City section, Shay received another text from Yuya with an answer to Shay’s question. He was confused. Apparently Yuto’s behavior was because of a realization he discovered yesterday. Realizing Yuya was going to have a hard time convincing Yuto by himself, he sent messages to Yugo and Yuri for help.

About a minute later, the Synchro Duelist caught up with Shay to see where they needed to go and he mention it’s stated in the text. With no hesitation, the two went off to meet Yuya and help Yuto.

Meanwhile, at Duel Academy, Yuri, Sora, and Dennis were almost done rehearsing their opening act for the day. They used the skills they learned from their training with Ricardo to sing the song they chose. They still won’t reveal what it is yet because it is a surprise for everyone to see. Right as the act was about to reach its conclusion, a notification alarm went off on Yuri’s Duel Disk.

“Hey Yuri!” Sora exclaimed. “That was your cue to use your whip to pull me over!”

At one point during the past few weeks, Yuri obtained a dark green whip with thorns on it thanks to one of the new Synchro monsters he got; the thorn tips were rounded to make sure no one gets hurt and the cards don’t get punctured. He apologized about not being on time for his cue and said Shay sent a text about how his XYZ counterpart has plans to give up Duel Monsters due to a recent discovery.

“Oh dear,” Dennis said. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“I know,” Yuri agreed. “So I’m afraid I’ll have to leave early.”

Sora and Dennis let him help out with the conflict, knowing it was more important. Yuri put his cards back into his Duel Disk and left the rehearsal while replying to Shay’s text. He then ran down the street to find his two counterparts and Shay and figure out how they should solve it. He knows it was unlike Yuto to abruptly stop dueling and wondered what he learned yesterday to lead him into making this consideration.

The destination was revealed to be Heartland Park as the four Duelists grouped together to learn the truth of their existence and how it is connected to their companion’s decision. “So what happened?” Yugo asked.

“We spoke to the museum’s curator,” Yuya explained. “Then she started explaining what Zarc’s real motives were and… Yuri, what are you wearing?”

Yuya noticed Yuri’s Team Obelisk outfit. It is an alteration of the standard Obelisk Force uniform, having rips and is also covered in various plants. Instead of the Obelisk the Tormentor-esque helmet, Yuri had his face painted to resemble vines. He explained to his Pendulum counterpart that he forgot to change out of it because he was in a hurry to meet up with his companions. Admittedly, it wasn’t the best outfit to wear out in public and may come off as ridiculous to the citizens; fortunately, this was only meant for his team’s opening act.

“That’s kinda a relief…” Yuya said. He snapped out of his confused state to stay focused. “As I was saying, Yuto got upset because he now thinks he’s a puppet.”

“I can’t blame him,” Shay said. “He’s having a hard time figuring out his future. I guess this revelation hurt him.”

Yuya also explained about why he thinks he’s a puppet, from Solomon Muto donating the Millennium Puzzle to the museum to Kaiba and Leo working together on the first—and violent—Action Duels, leading to Zarc’s destruction on the Original Dimension. He also indicated on how the two and Yugi saw visions of an alternate timeline that show what would happen if the Puzzle remained at Kame Game Shop and their tri-color-haired friend did solve it; it would create an inspiring legacy for other Duelists in the future, but it also meant that all of them wouldn’t exist. In a nutshell, Yuto is venting about how he’s a puppet with no meaning in life, leading him to wanting to stop dueling. Yuya stated how he, Yugi, and Ishizu all felt bad for him that day.

“Wait… So if that puzzle wasn’t donated to the museum…none of us would exist?” Yugo asked.

“Pretty much,” Yuya answered.

“Then why are you still smiling?” Yuri asked, his voice cracking with sorrow. “If we were created to serve as replacements, what’s the whole point in all of this?”

Yuri and Yugo soon realized that Yuto may be right. They were created to keep the timeline stable and to fill in the gaps of the legendary Duelists and Ray’s reincarnations to fill in their love interests’ places, which was their XYZ counterpart’s biggest problem.

“What?” Yuya asked. “You’re gonna let that bother you?”

“But Yuya, Yuto’s probably right,” Yugo said, his voice cracking in sorrow. “Somethin’ tell me this alternate timeline has someone who’s just like me.”

“Let’s see…” Yuya said, trying to remember what Ishizu said. “She mentioned three other Duelists: a bi person named Jaden Yuki, a motorcyclist named Yusei Fudo, and a junior explorer named Yuma Tsukamo. Add the alternate version of Yugi Muto, and…” His eyes widened in realization.

Yuya caught up with the fact that his counterparts have every right to be worried about this revelation. This only worsened their search to help Yuto because they now have to deal with the truth of being replacements of who should have existed and alternate versions of the legendary Duelists from the other timeline.

Suddenly, realization hit Yuri. “Wait a minute!” he exclaimed. “Yuya, you mentioned that one of those Duelists is bi.”

“What about it?” Yuya asked.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t we only attracted to girls?” Yuri asked.

Yuya quickly learned that Yuri was right; bisexuals are attracted to females _and_ males, and since this Jaden person was bi, does that mean he might have a male crush? Ishizu never specified it or which gender he prefers, but it sure sounds like it.

“Yeah, you’re right!” Yugo said. Then he realized what Yuri said. “Wait… Does that mean you’re dating Celina?”

Yuri was silent for a few seconds. “N-Never mind that!” he stammered, his face turning crimson. “We also have the Pendulum cards as proof we’re not just puppets!”

What does Yuri mean by that? Wasn’t Zarc the true creator of Pendulum Summoning? The other three Duelists thought about what was said before Yuya hypothesized that the Pendulum cards were created because Zarc was trying to break the mold. Underneath the corruption and darkness was a desire to make sure his reincarnations don’t endure similar fates and that they will live their respective lives. Yuri might have found a way to help Yuto not quit Duel Monsters.

Yuya took out his deck. “You’re right,” he said, looking at his Pendulum cards. “All of my Pendulum cards were originally regular effect monsters before Zarc changed them.”

“Maybe I should get a couple of Pendulum cards for my deck,” Yugo said. “‘Cause I’m certainly not gonna be like Yus- I mean, who I was supposed to replace!”

“You see?” Yuri asked. “As long as we have Pendulum cards, we are going to be more than just puppets! We’re individuals!”

Shay then developed a thought: maybe the main reason why Yuto is upset is because he wasn’t sure who he was supposed to replace in this timeline. He told Yuya what was on his mind and should probably ask Ishizu at the museum.

“You think Ishizu might know who Yuto replaced?” Yuya asked.

“Probably,” Shay answered. “But as for you three, try checking Heartland Duel School.”

“Why there?” Yugo asked.

“Knowing Yuto, he probably went there to clear his thoughts,” Shay explained. “And I have a feeling I know exactly where in the school he is.”

Some time later, Yuya, Yugo, and Yuri arrived at Heartland Duel School; since today was Sunday, there weren’t any classes going on. The three went onto the school grounds to find Yuto. Shay told them what building he was in, so they had to look for it. A few minutes have passed and they stopped in front of some doors that led to the gym where the dueling club was held. As they entered, they noticed it was completely empty…until Yugo spotted a shadow up on the stage. They headed towards the stages’ small set of stairs to find Yuto sitting on a chair and pondering about everything that recently happened.

“There you are!” Yuri said as he, Yuya, and Yugo walked over to Yuto. “Don’t you dare scare us like that!”

Yuto looked up, his eyes brimming with tears. “What do you want?” he asked, trying to wipe his eyes dry.

“I got worried when you ran off yesterday,” Yuya said. “I understand that you feel bad, but-”

“That’s enough,” Yuto said, standing up and facing away from his cousin and counterparts. “I need some time alone.”

“Aw, don’t be a downer, Yoot!” Yugo said. “We get that we were originally created to fill in some gaps, but we’ve got Pendulum cards! That’s something those other Duelists we replaced don’t have!”

“Do you really think Pendulum cards can make me feel better?” Yuto asked.

“Yeah,” Yuya answered, taking out his deck to reveal his Pendulum cards. “Before my duel with the Sledgehammer, these cards weren’t special. Then Zarc created Pendulum cards and changed my whole life. Shouldn’t that feel inspiring?”

Yuto was rather unsure of what to say. Although it was true they harbored the same summoning techniques as the four legendary Duelists, they all have one skill in common that they don’t: Pendulum Summoning. Yuya explained on how there was some good left in Zarc when the darkness clouded his judgement and only wanted the best for them by having them master the special summon created by him so that they don’t face a similar Hell like he did. The eggplant-haired teen sighed and turned to face his counterparts, having already made up his mind on something.

“I’m sorry, but this problem is more than that,” Yuto explained. “You guys already have plans for the future. You even have your own identities figured out. But me?” He let out a sad sigh. “I don’t even know who I am anymore.”

“What are you saying?” Yuya asked.

“I’m leaving the city to travel the world,” Yuto confessed. “I need to discover who I really am. I can’t let other people decide for me, like what Shay did all those years ago.”

His counterparts were couldn’t believe what they heard. Leaving to discover himself across the world? What was he thinking? Yuya grabbed his cousin by the shoulders to tell him something. He explained how Shay getting him into playing Duel Monsters was actually a good thing because the Phantom Kinghts that he’s been using helped mold him into the knightly gentleman that he is; he even managed to get an amazing girlfriend because of it. If he hadn’t become a Duelist, he wouldn’t have gotten himself involved in the War—no joining the Resistance, no looking for Lulu, no meeting Zuzu and Yuya, no getting absorbed, no helping end the War, and no getting unfused. After everything was at peace, he got a job at ObsidianCorp. Why? To discover his future. Yuya also mentioned on how Lono was probably so proud at everything he had done and how much he had grown, so leaving the mashed-up city would be throwing everything he worked for away. Everyone will miss him: his friends, his family, his allies, and his loved ones. Lono’s last words were “Don’t you dare let that beautiful smile leave your face”, but by walking away, all he would be doing was destroying the smile he desperately fought for.

“Just imagine what your life would have been like if you never met Shay Obsidian,” Yuya said. “Do you really think you would still be happy?”

Yuto actually never thought of it like that. If he hadn’t met Shay, he would still have been a shy, lonesome kid who embraced the darkness and was rejected by society…except his mother Lono. He still would have grown up living with her without the Invasion occurring; she would still be around as the only person who genuinely loved him. Yuya had a feeling that him reasoning with his cousin might not be working and asked Yugo and Yuri if they have any ideas. It was a good thing those two were messaged by Shay to help out; otherwise, they would have been screwed like the dickens.

“Snap out of it, Yoot!” Yugo exclaimed. “What about what _you_ really want? What feels right to _you_?”

“Well…” Yuto started to say.

“And don’t you dare say it’s because of fate!” Yuri interrupted. “Think about what you care about. What is the very first thing that comes to your mind that has nothing to do with this destiny nonsense?”

Yuto responded that his heart was the only thing that wasn’t involved with destiny. It was his most personally notable feature because it’s how he feels around those he cares about, especially Lulu. When he first met her, everything changed. Their first several weeks had blossomed into a beautiful relationship, with his caring heart as one of the biggest reasons. Everything he did after the Invasion was all for her because of how much he loves her. His chivalrous, noble, and caring heart has made him into the person he was today. It helped give him an identity. It made him an individual.

“I remember everything I did regarding her,” Yuto said, clutching his heart. “Our first date, our first kiss, the first time I told her how much I love her… I even remember what my first thought was when I met her.”

“And what was that?” Yuya asked.

Yuto closed his eyes, recalling what happened that day. “That girl is a real life Rapunzel,” he answered, smiling softly. “She was never imprisoned in a tower, but her beauty had surpassed what I originally thought the princess looked like.” He opened his eyes. “Lulu Obsidian is my Rapunzel.”

It was somewhat strange that Yuto was mentioning Rapunzel at a time like this, but he knew exactly why he was talking about her. He wanted to fall in love with a beautiful princess like her and that wish came true on the day he met Lulu. This would explain why he likes her long hair.

“Rapunzel…?” Yuya asked.

“It was my favorite bedtime story when I was younger,” Yuto explained. “I longed to find my own beautiful long-haired princess to love. Then I met Lulu Obsidian through Shay and that day changed my whole life. She’s an absolute angel and I’ll do anything to protect her.”

Yuto’s counterparts all looked at each other after hearing the explanation about Rapunzel. Thanks to Yugo and Yuri, they may have figured out a way to help help out in this situation.

“Then perhaps you should continue to be there for her,” Yuri advised. “Cherish the time you have with her. Yes, it is rather upsetting knowing we were meant to replace other people, but we are all forming our own identities and futures despite that. I am seeking redemption for my past actions, Yuya has dreams of being a famous Dueltainer, and even the moron wishes to become an incredible Turbo Duelist.”

Yuto stared into Yuri’s face as he heard the advice being given. It was true that everyone has a future, but he doesn’t have to find it right now; stuff like that takes time to figure out. For now, he should focus on the present, meet up with Shay, take part in the Team Duel Tournament, continue working at ObsidianCorp, and support his girlfriend through any difficulty they might come across.

Speaking of Shay, he finally showed up. “Yuto!” he exclaimed, out of breath. “You can’t give up on dueling!”

The Yu-Salad turned to see Shay at the door from up on the stage. Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri took the stairs to head over towards him whereas Yugo jumped off the stage and onto the floor, then proceeded to catch up with the others. As they got closer, they all noticed Ishizu’s necklace in his hand; Yuto wondered why on earth he has it with him, but his counterparts knew the answer to it.

“Where did you get that?” Yuto asked.

“Ishizu wanted me to give it to you,” Shay answered. “She felt bad about what happened and she wants you to see who you replaced.”

“Really?” Yuto asked. “Does she want me to return it to her afterwards?”

“No, it’s yours to keep,” Shay explained. “Think of it as a reminder of the future she showed you.”

Yuto thanked his friend for giving him the necklace and wondered how it works if no one was wearing it. Shay told him that Ishizu explained the Millennium Necklace can still show visions even if it wasn’t around someone’s neck. He glanced at the Millennium Item that he received, preparing himself to see his XYZ replacement. With a light touch on the eye, it illuminated a bright light and blinded everyone. Once it faded away, he found himself in Heartland. He questioned himself if he made a mistake because everything about it mirrors the one in the XYZ Dimension prior to the Invasion; he wasn’t sure if it brought back to _his_ Heartland. His confusion was subsided as he saw two people engaging in a duel, but the setup was slightly different. The rules were the same yet they had devices on their left eyes that were essential for this type of duel.

On his left, Yuto saw a tan-skinned boy with red eyes and magenta and dark spiked hair that pointed outward and upward. He wore a red vest with two large belts and a white hood, a light purple sleeveless shirt with a light green “D” on it, white pants with three orange crescent moons on each leg, a white brown-striped belt, and a pair of black shoes with sky blue streaks and white straps. His accessories consisted of a reddish-brown fingerless glove on his left hand, a black protective pad on his right elbow, a dark blue wristband with a reddish-pink outline and light blue studs on his right hand, and a golden key around his neck. Was this young teen Yuto’s replacement in his timeline, and if so, was his name Yuma Tsukumo? Next to him was a transparent pale blue spirit with heterochromic eyes like Yuya, but his were golden on the left and pure white on the right. His hair curled up in a mohawk and had green and blue markings all over his body. From the looks things, only Yuto and Yuma can see this spirit, who was later revealed to be names Astral.

“With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network and XYZ Summon Number 39: Utopia!” Yuma exclaimed.

A Number Card? Yuto has never heard of Number Cards before, let alone never knowing they existed…at least, in this timeline. He wondered who was dueling against Yuma, and with a quick glance from his moving eyes, he was surprised to see Reginald Kastle in this timeline. This version of Reginald, however, contradicted the one that he was familiar with. He was dressed more casually with a purple jacket with white rims and green gems around the edges of the sleeves over a maroon shirt, dark gray pants with a belt around it (as seen by the golden buckle), and white shoes with green gems on it. He also wore a gray locket in the shape of a shark tooth and a silver ring on his right hand.

Reginald smirked. “Did you really think I’d forget about that trick?” he asked, sounding a lot more casual. “I activate the Quick-Play Spell card Book of Moon, so you can’t use your Double or Nothing combo to wipe out my Abyss Splash!”

Yuto wasn’t certain on how he should respond to Reginald’s mannerisms; they were clearly not like how he spoke in at the formal party he attended. He sounded more indifferent and cool yet humble and friendly. What was greatly surprising was Yuma saying his nickname that he went by: Shark.

“Do not let Book of Moon distract you,” Astral informed Yuma. “You can always flip summon Utopia on your next turn.”

“Yeah, I know,” Yuma replied as he set a card face down.

Another emotion coursed through Yuto’s veins: confusion. This was from how Yuma was very similar to Yugo in terms of personality and actions. Off in the distance, she spotted Lulu’s childhood friend Cathy with what can be described as Yuma’s group of friends. There wasn’t anything remotely different about her because she still wore a gothic lolita and had a cat obsession.

Just then, he was whisked away into another event; this time, it centered around the Arclights. They wore the same clothes like in his timeline with some altered qualities, especially Thomas, who bore a scar on his right eye. The brothers’ personalities also stood out to him in a unique way—Michael was an adorable sweetheart like Yugi while Thomas and Christopher were more like Atem, but with clashing traits; Thomas’s hair color to Yugi’s and he was more…insane while Christopher’s bangs were oddly akin and he was calmer and more rational. Byron, on the other hand, had the most changes as he looked like a kid and wore a mask. Just like Shark, the family all had pseudonyms: Trey, Quattro, Quinton, and Vetrix respectively. Yuto wondered if the alternate versions of Arclights were related to Yugi since they bore more comparable traits. Maybe the brothers were his great-grandchildren with Vetrix being his grandson?

“Quattro, you cannot let these feelings interfere with our tasks,” Quinton informed.

“So what if I do?!” Quattro snapped.

“Quinton is right,” Vetrix said. “Your feelings for Rio Kastle nearly cost you your life. You could have died in that fire!”

Quattro had a crush on Rio? What did he do that caused the terrible fire the family kept mentioning which almost killed him? What tasks are they focused on? Were they against their great-grandfather’s wishes? So many questions flooded Yuto’s mind as he witnessed what was unfolding in front of him.

“Which you made me cause!” Quattro exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me Flaming Hell Blessing produces actual flames?!”

“That was none of your concern,” Vetrix answered.

“It is when actual people are getting killed!” Quattro exclaimed. He lifted his hand to gently touch the scar on his face. “I don’t even think I can look at fire the same way again…”

Flaming Hell Blessing? Was it a Spell card? It may be another card Yuto hasn’t heard before, but he is sure glad that it doesn’t exist in his timeline. At least what Quattro yelled out settled his puzzlement yet he felt terrible that such a tragedy like that would take place. The scarred teen’s face became guilty because of what he did and that he had to go against what his great-grandfather wished for.

A third light brought the eggplant-haired teen to another part of Heartland City that involved Rio. This time, she was dueling against Heartland Academy’s Floral Design Club president Lotus Hanazoe, who was under control of an evil threat. She was in the middle of performing a Chaos XYZ Summon, using a Spell card called Rank-Up Magic Barian’s Force which led to a Barian symbol to materialize on her forehead. He also heard her recite a chant.

“Barian power, born of chaos. Visit your judgement on this world of filth.”

As a result, the monster she used to reconstruct the Overlay Network, Battlecruiser Dianthus, transformed into a Chaos XYZ Monster. Yuto was aghast at how these Barians possess such a powerful card to make people succumb to their rule.

“Come forth CXYZ Battleship Cherry Blossom!”

With now a stronger monster on the field, Yuto became concerned about Rio, who was also contradictory to the version of her from his timeline. She was still confident, loyal to her twin brother, and had her childish side, but she wasn’t as stuck-up and snobby as the Rio he knew. After his duel with her back at the party, he knew there was only one monster in her arsenal that can turn things around. Due to Cherry Blossom’s effect to inflict 400 damage to its opponent for every card on the field and Diamond Dust reducing the cards from seven to five by destroying Blizzard Falcon and inflicting 500 damage back, both girls’ LP of 2500 diminished—Rio now had 500 LP while Lotus had only 2000. Cherry Blossom made its attack, but its direct attack resulted in it destroying a special summoned Aurora Wing thanks to Ice Chain; it was then special summoned back on the field from the Graveyard, leading to Lotus to play a facedown. It was now Rio’s turn.

“Now I activate the Spell card Monster Reborn!” Rio declared. “It allows me to summon Blizzard Falcon from my Graveyard!”

Lotus played her face-down Rose Marker, inflicting 300 damage to Rio and bringing her LP to 200. Yuto gazed at Blizzard Falcon and Aurora Wing; they’re both Level 4 monsters, which means she was about to bring out her ace. She overlayed her two monsters to XYZ Summon Ice Beast Zerofyne. After increasing her ATK to 2400 thanks to the Zen Garden Field Spell, she used an Overlay Unit to negate all face-up cards until the next Standby Phase and make Cherry Blossom lose ATK for every face-up card x 300; in other words, it went from 2800 to 1500 ATK due to Zen Garden being negated, meaning Zerofyne’s ATK return to 2000.

Lotus then activated Flower Judgement to give her monster an ATK by detaching its Overlay Units x 800. Having both Overlay Units, it gained 1600 ATK, ricocheting up to 3100, which was perfect for Rio. She played Freezing Point to reduce Cherry Blossom’s ATK to 0 since it had no Overlay Units and used Zerofyne to destroy it, leading to Lotus’ LP to be brought down to 0. With the Augmented Reality Duel over, Zen Garden disintegrated back to Heartland Academy as the Barian symbol disappeared and left the Floral Design Club’s president with no memory of what happened. Yuma congratulated Rio by nicknaming her an ice queen; she was annoyed by it, but was actually kidding and replied by saying she has a sense of humor unlike Shark.

All of a sudden, a fourth and final light appeared in front of him and brought him back to Heartland Duel School’s gym. The vision was over. He was stunned by what he saw while his counterparts and Shay wanted to know what he saw and who he replaced.

“It was a boy named Yuma Tsukamo,” Yuto answered. “He was loud, rude, and quick-tempered, so I think I ended up getting the guy Yugo was supposed to replace.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Yugo demanded.

Yuri struggled to maintain his composure because Yuto wasn’t wrong. He may have also discovered alternatives to nicknaming Yugo since “moron” doesn’t faze him; however, that was for another time because Yuya wanted to ask his XYZ counterpart something.

“So what do you say?” Yuya asked, holding out his cousin’s Duel Disk. “Do you still want to leave us?”

Yuto briefly looked at Yuya before shifting his head towards his Duel Disk. As he stared, he began having thoughts about his loved ones: his friends from the dueling club, the Sakakis, but more importantly, Lulu and Lono. Their undying love and loyalty to him created him into who he is today. He grabbed his Duel Disk out of Yuya’s hand, attached it on his left wrist, whipped his left arm back as it activated, and brought it back into dueling position, all while having his signature smile on his face. He never forgot his mother’s last words to him, so starting today, he will continue making her proud.

Shay smiled as well. “Welcome back, Yuto,” he said.

“Thanks Shay,” Yuto replied. “Now about that dandruff problem…”

“What dandruff problem?” Yuri asked.

That statement left Shay confused; how did Yuto know he had a dandruff problem? With the issue finally resolved, everyone can now finish prepping themselves for the tournament, in which the Yu-Salad are ready for. Yuya obtained the necessary strategies to work together with Zuzu and Gong, Yuto got his team situated with a stand-in, Yugo had his own Duel Runner to use in Turbo Duels, and Yuri was almost done rehearsing his opening act with Dennis and Sora. If there’s one thing they had in common, they all have mastered their mind merge Skill with their dragons. As the five teens walked out of the gym and back into the city, they all have one thing in mind: adapt to the Team Duel rules and win the tournament…


	18. The Spell of Fairy Tails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the Team Duel Tournament has finally arrived! As the first round begins, Sarah ends up dueling Julia, revealing that her Fairy Tail cards a lot stronger than they appear to be.

Today has finally arrived. The day every Duelist has been waiting for. One that will redefine the Duel Monsters card game for the years to come. The first day of the Team Duel Tournament was here.

Everyone was scrambling to get ready, especially the Yu-Salad and Energy Girls, who were doing their morning routines. Yuya and Sora ate Yoko’s pancakes a tad faster than usual because they don’t want to be late for the opening ceremony. Yuto, Lulu, and Shay each took turns taking showers and getting dressed before they can eat their breakfasts. Yugo, Rin, Crow, and Shinji all prepared their Duel Runners and decks while having already finished eating. Yuri was in his and Dennis’ dorm bathroom, attempting to make his new appearance look neat; the Shaddoll user commented on how his roommate has combed his hair for…what, the umpteenth time now? Celina was wrapping up her morning workouts at the gym while Zuzu got changed into her usual attire she wore in and out of school.

A couple hours later, seven of the eight counterparts were inside LID with their teammates and were about to enter through the doors to the Center Duel Field. So many people from across the Original Dimension came to see an important event in dueling history. As the competitors and audience members walked in, they all grew shocked at what was surrounding the field. There was a surprising large amount of Fluffal monsters in the arena and plants hung all over the walls. There were even unknown hooded figures among the crowd. What was going on?

At that point, Yugo saw a flash of red from the corner of his eye. “You okay, Yugo?” Rin asked.

“I recognize that swirly red hair anywhere,” Yugo said. “It’s that Ancient Gear guy!”

Unfortunately for all the Duelists and Duel Monsters fans, some Cardfighters have also showed up just to see the twelve teams screw up the new tournament rules. Yugo hasn’t seen the red-haired Cardfighter since the day Rin discovered her Skill, but he hasn’t forgotten him.

“Who do you think you are showing up here?!” Yugo asked, running up to the Cardfighter. “This is a Duelists-only event!”

“Oh, you’re one to talk!” the Cardfighter said. “You stole our tournament rules! You’re just gonna end up screwing things up with your weird technology!”

“You’re the weird one!” Yugo retorted as Rin had to rush over to restrain him. “Your Ancient Gear monsters aren’t real, you weirdo!”

“They’re called Gear Chronicle, you toy-loving freak!” the Cardfighter said, taking out his deck.

“Oh, you want a showdown?!” Yugo asked, taking out his deck as well.

“Bring it!” the Cardfighter answered. “Can’t wait to punch that smug expression off your fa-”

“There you are, Chrono!”

Yugo, Rin, and the Cardfighter, now revealed to be Chrono, turned their heads to see a girl walking towards them. She had apple green hair and hazel eyes like Rin, but the only notable difference was the clothes they wore. The three looked back at each other, baffled by what they’re seeing. The two girls have similar appearances and features, and from what they heard from Chrono’s friend, they even have mirroring personalities. Heck, the two boys were both quick-tempered. They honestly don’t know what to say about the recently discovered similarities.

“Not now, Tokoha,” Chrono said. “This banana-haired Duelist keeps calling my cards ancient gear-”

“Will you just focus for once, you moron?!” Tokoha demanded. “And I’m serious this time! If you could control that temper of yours, we wouldn’t have gone through that whole problem with Team Trick-Trick! And stop picking fights with random Duelists! You’ve gotta learn to stop losing your cool!” She tightly grabbed Chrono’s arm. “Do you even know how worried I got when you vanished?!”

“Geez, alright!” Chrono exclaimed. “Stop being such a nag about it!”

Yugo and Rin became convinced that Chrono and Tokoha are definitely much like them; admittedly, learning about these parallels was almost scary. The Windwitch user was hesitant on interacting with her look-alike because of the…ordeal that was going on.

“Uh… Rin?” Yugo asked as Tokoha dragged Chrono over to the stadium seats. “You think Cardfighters aren’t as different as we thought?”

“Yep,” Rin answered.

The crowd got themselves adjusted in the seats that encircled the Center Duel Field; there were even some familiar faces from the Interdimensional War and some people that played larger roles in the alternate timelines within the audience. The eleven teams were given special seats near the arena’s center to identify themselves as those that are competing. Only three seats were empty, leaving Yuya, Yugo, and Yuto a bit flummoxed. Pretty soon, Declan showed up to begin the opening ceremony and announce the tournament rules, unbeknownst of why the field was decorated.

“Welcome to the first ever Team Duel Tournament,” Declan said. “For those of you who do not know yet, this tournament was put together with one idea in mind: to restore trust between fallen friends due to a recent war between dimensions. Needless to say, I am glad to see the best Duelists taking part in the tournament.

"But before I can begin, I wish to introduce you to someone. He is the one who helped organize this tournament. Presenting the CEO of the Vanguard Association: Mr. Aichi Sendou.”

Aichi walked down the arena as some audience members applauded, but the Duelists were generally baffled that he looked a bit young to be the CEO of a rival card game. He had long, blue hair with a bang swept right and blueish-teal eyes. He wore a half-sleeved, light blue jacket with black—and a few white—markings, denim jeans, and gray shoes.

“Thank you, Declan Akaba,” Aichi said. “The rules of this tournament might sound familiar to all the Cardfighters in the audience. The teams will be divided into four separate blocks. The three teams in each block will duel each other. Whoever wins the most duels in each block moves on to the next round. Once the four finalist teams are decided, they will be paired up in a standard elimination round. The best two teams will then battle it out, with the winning team being the last team standing.”

The rules sounded decently easy enough, but many Duelists were demanding to know why Declan even agreed to use these rules in the first place. The eleven present teams looked at each other with worried looks. Some of the members noticed off in the distance that a few other people in the audience were also uneasy about the vast complaints.

“Calm down, everyone,” Aichi said. “I was expecting this kind of backlash. Declan told me about the Interdimensional War, but two years ago, us Cardfighters were having our own problems: a virus called Link Joker.” Various images appeared on the arena monitors as he spoke. “Link Joker corrupted the hearts of Cardfighters everywhere with no exceptions. Family and friends were turned against each other during this crisis as more Cardfighters fell to darkness. But with the help of my friends, I was able to defeat Link Joker and purify it so it would no longer corrupt anyone who uses their cards.”

Everyone stared in stunned silence at the photos of Link Joker and the terror it brought upon to the Cardfighters. Rumor has it that this incident was briefly discussed in a Duel Monsters magazine. It was clear that none of the Duelists knew about this until just now. Does that mean they will have a change of heart and how they may not be so different after all? So far, a total of five Duelists during the past few weeks, including what happened earlier, had came across this realization, so who knows.

Yuto simply gave Lulu’s hand a firm yet loving squeeze. To him, Link Joker was exactly like the Fusion Parasites, corrupting people and forcing them to use cards they would never use before. The very thought angered him. He would never let such a thing happen again.

“A virus…” Yuya said, touching his own face. “Corrupting innocent people…?”

Why would anyone do such a horrible thing to Card Fighters? They may be rivals with Duelists, but even _they_ don’t deserve to go through such a catastrophic tragedy. The Duelists soon began to see the similarities that they unknowingly shared with those that played Vanguard. At the same time, Aichi and Declan witnessed the dismay on everyone’s faces after hearing the news of this other terrible and dangerous event.

“This is why I told Declan about Vanguard tournaments,” Aichi explained. “These tournaments are used to establish trust between teammates, something that Duelists lost because of their war. By the end of this tournament, I can reassure you that family and friends will reunite due to newfound trust.”

All around the stadium, Duelists and Cardfighters gradually applauded at the explanation Aichi gave. The more people that clapped, the louder it got and the more touching this moment was. Even those watching this broadcasted tournament were touched by the inspiring words as they’ve come to accept the fact that Cardfighters and Vanguard weren’t so bad after all. Surely, this event will be the last day of their heated rivalry once and for all.

Aichi thanked everyone for listening to what he had to say as he handed the microphone to Declan and sat back down in his seat. It was now time to officially start the opening ceremony.

“Thank you Mr. Sendou,” Declan said. “To begin the opening ceremony, one of the Duelists participating in the tournament will recite the Duelist’s Oath. And the honor goes to Lulu Obsidian.”

Everyone applauded as Lulu went up on stage on her motorized wheelchair. She, her friends, her family, and Yuto are glad that she was fully healed on the day before the tournament, so now she can take part in it; of course, Sarah is still Team Noble’s stand-in. Although she might never walk again, little girls within the audience mistaken her for a real life princess; they saw how beautiful she looked despite being handicapped. Even Allie from Team You Show had the same reaction and comment about Lulu being a princess.

“No way!” Allie had cried out. “A real life princess!”

Lulu heard the enthusiastic remark while making her way towards Declan and blushed as she glimpsed at the red-haired girl. Yuto had turned around in his seat to see what the commotion was about, only to realize what she was talking about. He quickly looked back at the dark purple-haired girl, smiling contently because he knew she wasn’t wrong; he did mention to his counterparts that his girlfriend was his Rapunzel.

When Lulu had wheeled over to the microphone, Declan lowered it so she could recite the Oath. She cleared her throat as she raised her right hand. “I, Lulu Obsidian, promise to-”

Suddenly, the Center Duel Field’s dome steadily closed, leaving everyone in a small, confused frenzy in the now enclosed darkness. Lulu and Declan had trouble figuring what was going on; there’s no way this was part of the opening ceremony. Within the dark stadium, three figures appeared and revealed the Fluffal monsters in the arena, the Shaddoll monsters that were hidden in the crowd, and the Predaplant monsters that dangled on the walls. The teams instantly learned there were only three people that use these archetypes.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the shortest one said as the three revealed Polymerization cards. “But I think it’s our turn to steal the show.”

In perfect unison, the three fused a selected group of their monsters to Fusion Summon Frightfur Bear, El Shaddoll Shekhinaga, and Starving Venom Fusion Dragon. The stage lights then turned on to reveal Sora, Dennis, and Yuri, the absent three Duelists. They were dressed up in peculiar costumes: Yuri in his plant-altered Obelisk Force uniform, Dennis in a Shekhinaga-based outfit, and Sora in a toy soldier attire. Music started playing from the machine room, but it was no ordinary musical piece. A lot of people recognized the instrumental number they were hearing. It was time for them to unleash their surprise opening act.

“We know that your powers as mere Duelists,” Dennis sang.

“Are as weak as a lone Kuriboh!” Sora sang.

“But weak as you are, pay attention,” Yuri sang, taking out his whip. “Our words are a matter of skill!” He used the whip to call Starving Venom to his side.

“It’s clear from your vacant expressions,” Sora sang, smiling creepily as he hopped onto Frightfur Bear’s shoulder. “The lights are not all on upstairs.”

“But we’re talking Dueltaining legends,” Dennis sang as his sat on a Shaddoll Hound’s back as El Shaddoll Shekhinaga appeared by his side. “Even you can’t be caught unaware.” As he sang that line, he threw a dagger at a random picture of Yusho.

“So prepare for a change of the spotlight,” Yuri sang, sitting on Starving Venom’s hand as he flew across the arena. “Be prepared for a brand new duel style.”

“A shining new era is tiptoeing nearer,” Sora sang.

“And where do you feature?” Dennis sang.

“Just listen to teacher!” Sora sang as he pointed to his head.

“We know it sounds sordid, but this show’s rewarding when at last we deliver our own fun!” Yuri sang.

“And injustice deliciously squared,” Sora sang.

“Be prepared!” the three sang in unison.

“That’s right, everyone!” Yuri said. “We are Team Obelisk, and we challenge the legacy of Yusho Sakaki!”

“Precisely,” Dennis added. “His brand of delivering smiles has become quite tiresome.”

“That’s why we’re introducing a new type of Dueltainment!” Sora gleefully said. “Wicked Dueltainment, a special type of Dueltainment used to oppose all smiles!”

“So get ready, Yusho Sakaki,” Yuri said as he, Dennis, and Sora pulled out multiple fusion-type Spell cards. “It is time for a brand new duel king!”

Sora played another Spell card, Frightfur Fusion, which enabled him to use his Bear and two copies of Edge Imp Frightfuloid to Fusion Summon Frightfur Chimera. Dennis followed suit by playing El Shaddoll Fusion; two of the hooded figures saw the Spell card and leapt over to their owner—removing the cloaks to disclose themselves as Zefracore and Zefranaga—to be Fusion materials, resulting in El Shaddoll Winda to appear. Yuri was the third member in the chain as he activated Super Polymerization, using his Predaplants Cordyceps and Darlingtonia Cobra in order to bring out Predaplant Chimerafflesia. The three repeated the process until they Fusion Summoned nearly all of their Fusion monsters, resulting in a stadium full of Frightfur, El Shaddoll, and Predaplant fusions that proceeded to ‘entertain’ the crowd by demonstrating their powers.

“It’s great that you’ll soon be connected,” Sora sang, now dangling on one of Frightfur Chimera’s necks. “With duel kings who shall be admired.”

“Of course, quid pro quo, you’re expected,” Yuri sang, still being carried by Starving Venom. “To take certain measures on board.”

“The future is littered with terrors,” Dennis sang. “And though we’re the main addressees.”

“The point that we must emphasize is…” Sora sang.

“You won’t get a smile from our show!” Yuri sang as he used his whip once more.

“So prepare for the turn of the century,” Sora sang. “Be prepared for the wickedest cast.”

“Meticulous planning, tenacity spanning,” Dennis sang. “Decades of denial is simply why we’ll…”

“Be kings undisputed, respected, saluted,” Yuri sang as Starving Venom brought him back on the ground as Shaddoll Hound carried Dennis over to him. “And seen for the wonders we are.”

“Yes, our skills and ambitions are bared,” Sora said. “Be prepared!” As he sang that last part, Yuri used his whip to bring Sora over to him and Dennis.

“Yes, our skills and ambitions are bared,” Yuri sang as he revealed Violet Flash.

“Be prepared!” the trio sang in unison as Yuri activated Violet Flash and another Polymerization at the same time.

A flash of light appeared from Violet Flash to add effect to their concluding act, with the trio’s monsters laughing sinisterly, evilly, and maniacally. At the same time, Starving Venom and Chimerafflesia fused together to bring out the Fusion dragon’s alternate form: Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon, who proceeded to let out a fearsome roar.

As Team Obelisk stood in their finishing poses, everyone, including the teams, were left with an indecisive reaction. They weren’t sure how to react to the surprise performance they all watched. After a few minutes of silence, Celina rolled her eyes and started clapping, wanting to let her boyfriend know the performance was somewhat entertaining. Sylvio and Aura also clapped with her, followed by the rest of the teams, the attending Card Fighters, and finally, the entire audience. It definitely was something they didn’t expected to occur, but they were satisfied with how it went and anticipating Team Obelisk’s new style of Dueltaining; besides, no one can resist rooting for the villains.

“We are glad you could enjoy our display of a Wicked Dueltainment,” Yuri said once the applause died down. “If any of the other teams cross our paths, we will show no mercy.”

Yuri, Dennis, and Sora headed towards their empty seats while deactivating their Duel Disks, leading to their monsters disappearing. Lulu gave the microphone to Declan, who thanked the boys for putting on their act and for introducing Wicked Dueltainment to the public. He cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses as he stated Lulu will recite the Duelist’s Oath without any further interruptions, regardless of how fantastic they were. She and her brother had practiced and memorized the Oath multiple times when ObsidianCorp sponsored past events, so with the Team Duel Tournament being presented by her family’s company, this should be a breeze for her.

With the microphone ready, Lulu raised her right hand once more. “I, Lulu Obsidian, promise to play fair, never cheat, and treat all opposing Duelists with utter respect. Furthermore, I will not use fake cards nor sneak in hidden cards during duels. I will also not resort to physical harm on my opponents. In conclusion, I shall respect the game and not resort to becoming a cheating snake.”

The audience applauded yet again when she was finished with declaring out the Oath. She handed the microphone back to Declan and wheeled back to her team. Yuya remembered how his attempt at it during the Arc League Championship wasn’t his best; it surely doesn’t compete with Lulu since she knows it by heart.

“Thank you, Ms. Obsidian,” Declan said. “The teams will now be divided into four separate blocks based on duel skills.”

The monitor screen showed the four blocks, each with three teams. The pictures of the twelve teams were all shuffled to see who will be paired with who for the first round according to their skills. A few seconds later, the pairings have been made: Teams Smiles, Wishes, and Victor in Block A, Teams Noble, Ace, and You Show in Block B, Teams Turbo, Skillful, and Luck in Block C, and Teams Obelisk, Lancer, and Force in Block D.

Shay looked nervous regarding the other two teams in Block B. “Are you alright, Shay?” Yuto asked.

“Sarah, you’re going to have to duel in my spot,” Shay said. “I don’t think I can handle dueling those teams.”

Wait, Shay is suddenly sitting out this round? Yuto wondered why he would make this choice when he was informed that his friend felt guilty of what he did to Julia, Kit, and Dipper; he also doesn’t want Frederick, Allie, and Tate to get hurt by his Raidraptors because they’re little kids. He’ll most likely compete once the winning teams from each block have been determined. Yuto didn’t blame him in regards to Team Ace because the Resistance falsely accused Leo Corporation and LID for the Invasion whereas Lulu knew how her older brother has a soft spot for young children.

“It’s okay,” Lulu said. “I completely understand your reasons. We’ll do our best to make sure we make it to the finals.”

Shay thanked his teammates for understanding and turned his head to face Sarah, asking her if she was ready. She responded that she’s more prepared and confident to duel than ever before, and it was all thanks to Yuya. He was glad to hear this from her, especially since this was going to be her first duel in a while.

“Would anyone like my Fairy Tails?” Sarah realized. “Not everyone uses them, so I’m a bit concerned by their reception.”

“You’ll do great, Sarah,” Lulu reassured. “The Fairy Tails suit you perfectly. I’m sure that once you duel, everyone will love your dueling style.”

Sarah stared at Lulu after hearing those words. Fairy Tails aren’t a popular archetype among Duelists because only a few monsters were made, all female LIGHT anthropomorphic animals based on fairytales with 1850 ATK and 1000 DEF. Although no Spells and Traps were also created along with the archetype, the spectacled girl found what works well with her monsters to create her deck.

“Thanks Lulu,” Sarah said.

“You’re welcome,” Lulu replied. “Just remember to have fun.”

Sarah nodded her head, indicating that she will. Hopefully, as she duels, people will admire her usefulness, skills, and strategies with her Fairy Tails, including her secret weapon…

With the block matchups already decided, Declan instructed the teams to head to the four separate arenas to begin the preliminaries. They all did so, with Shay and Shinji the only ones not dueling as they are still sitting in their seats. Once everyone was situated in their blocks, the monitor then displayed the duels between each competitor. Block A will be Team Smiles vs. Team Victor, Block B pits Team Noble against Team Ace, Block C is a battle between Team Skillful and Team Luck, and Block D involves Team Lancer dueling Team Force.

“Team Ace, huh?” Yuto asked. “So our first opponents are those Leo Institute kids.”

“Including Julia,” Lulu added, recalling how the Gem-Knight user treated her to a spa day to help prep her for the Leo Corporation dance.

Just like the Vanguard team tournaments, there will be three simultaneous duels occurring in each block with one member from a team going against another member from the opposing team. In Block B’s case, it’ll be Sarah vs. Julia, Yuto vs. Kit, and Lulu vs. Dipper; the first team from each block to score the most wins moves on to the next round.

“So you’re Lulu Obsidian,” Dipper said. “I heard your cards are powerful, but can they defeat my Constellar monsters?”

Lulu let out a small laugh. “Oh, you’ll see,” she answered as she activated the Duel Disk that was now built into her wheelchair.

Kit smirked. “Well if it isn’t Shay Obsidian’s accomplice,” he said. “I must say, from what I heard about you, you’re pretty noble. But I have a code of honor of my own.”

“I recall,” Yuto replied. “You’re a swordmaster.”

“Correct,” Kit said.

“But I have something you probably don’t have,” Yuto said. “A strong bond with my cards. They helped shape me into becoming who I am today.”

“Then maybe it’s time you showed me those cards of your songs,” Kit said.

As the four Duelists were about to prepare to duel, Sarah and Julia stood across from each other as this was their first time meeting each other.

“Uh… Hi?” Sarah asked.

“You’re clearly nervous,” Julia stated.

“Huh?” Sarah asked.

“I said, you’re nervous,” Julia repeated. “You seem unsure of what to do, so this is probably your first time taking part in a big tournament. That probably means your deck doesn’t have a clear archetype, so you’re not sure if it would actually be effective in a proper dueling environment.” She readied her Duel Disk. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you.”

Sarah couldn’t find the right words to describe how Julia figured her out instantly. She has never encountered someone like her before, but as she shook the thought off, she activated her Duel Disk as well, getting ready to test her newfound confidence she gained during the War.

“Good,” Sarah replied. “Because I wasn’t expecting an easy win.”

With the competing teams fully ready to duel, all four blocks got divided into three sections each to have a total of twelve duels going on at the same time. Since these were Action Duels, all sections got different duel fields, with Sarah and Julia getting a grand ballroom. It was an interesting choice because it made the spectacled girl smile widely while the Gem-Knight user flashbacked a little to her first duel with Zuzu. If that wasn’t enough, she quickly realized that she and Sarah were now wearing ball gowns.

“What’s going on?!” Julia asked, confused.

“I recognize this Action Field,” Sarah explained. “Fairy Tail Palace. This was my favorite Action Field back in Heartland. I even know where all the Action Cards are and which ones I should use at certain moments.”

In other words, Fairy Tail Palace gave Sarah an advantage, surprising Julia because it meant her opponent will know the right moves to counter her attacks. Regardless, she may have to step up her game if she was going to win.

“So you use Fairy Tails,” Julia realized. “I was right. You have a scattered deck. There are only a few Fairy Tail cards in the whole game, so you don’t have a proper archetype.”

Sarah knew about her deck being scattered, but it didn’t matter nor did she care. It was her deck that she created by herself with her own original strategies, so despite being an underrated archetype, she will bring out its potential.

After everyone set up their Duel Disks, they all shouted “Let’s duel!” in unison, marking the start of the preliminaries. Elsewhere, in the main arena, footage of the multiple Action Duels were being aired as Nico and Melissa commentated on what was happening during the first turns.

“Wait a minute!” Nico exclaimed. “Why is Team Turbo riding motorcycles?! This is strictly a no-vehicle duel format!”

“Oh Nico, clearly you never saw Turbo Duels before,” Melissa informed. “Team Turbo’s Duel Disks are built into their Duel Runners, so their way of duelin’ can get rather confusin’.”

Nico has never heard of Duel Runners or Turbo Duels before. Action Duels were what he was familiar with the most, so seeing a Turbo Duel for the first time was quite an experience for him. He learned something new today as well from Melissa: it _was_ legal to play card games on motorcycles. She then gave a brief synopsis of how they work; as a Duel Monsters announcer from the Synchro Dimension, her explanations were as easy as pie. While that was going on, Julia went first.

“I’ll start things off by using Gem-Knight Fusion to fuse Gem-Knights Lapis and Lazuli!” Julia said. “Two gems sparkle together, illuminating a new stone! I Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli!”

As a Level 5 Earth monster with 2400 ATK and 1000 DEF, Lapis Lazuli can only be Fusion Summoned once per turn. She can also inflict 500 damage to her opponent for every special summoned monster on the field by having Julia send one Gem-Knight monster from the Main or Extra Decks to the Graveyard. The Fusion Duelist sent Gem-Knight Amber to the Graveyard to have Sarah’s LP decrease to 3500, since Lapis Lazuli was the only special summoned monster on the field. She then placed a card face down, emptying her hand and ending her turn.

“Now let’s see what you got, fairytale girl,” Julia said.

“Alright,” Sarah said. “My turn!” She drew a card, but before she could check her hand, a beautiful song echoed throughout the arena.

“Where is that song coming from?!” Julia asked, confused. “Is this part of the Action Field too?!”

“It’s not,” Sarah answered. “I recognize that voice anywhere.”

Meanwhile, it was Yuto’s turn as he was about to XYZ Summon The Phantom Knights Break Sword with his Level 3 Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves and Phantom Knights of Silent Boots. Just then, he and Kit quickly paused the duel to hear who was singing. Their reactions were similar to Julia and Sarah’s because the X-Saber user didn’t know where the singing was coming from and who it belonged to while Yuto realized whose voice it was.

“Who’s that singing?” Kit asked Yuto. “Your girlfriend?”

“No,” Yuto answered, his eyes sparkling with admiration behind his glasses. “An angel.”

In the third section, Lulu had activated her Skill known as Natural Energy Burst to give her Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale, using Turquoise Warbler, Sapphire Swallow, and two Colbalt Sparrows to XYZ Summon it, a 500 ATK boost while it was sporting the En Birds marking on its forehead for one turn. Her usage was different because she sang a melody to help give its activation a visual effect, which was calling on songbirds.

“Eh… That’s it?” Dipper asked once Lulu was finished with her song. “You do know you’re not allowed to attack on the first turn, right?”

“I know,” Lulu answered. “My Skill is automatically activated when I first XYZ Summon in a duel.” She proceeded to play a face down card. “So even though I end my turn, I can activate it again.”

As Assembled Nightingale’s ATK returned to normal, it was now Dipper’s turn. He drew a card from his deck and analyzed the six cards he had before proceeding with his first Main Phase.

As for Sarah, she had finished checking her hand and she had retrieved her first Action Card near a spinning wheel. “I’ll start things off with a face down monster,” she said. “Which I’ll reveal now!”

“You can’t flip summon a monster you just set,” Julia pointed out.

“Actually, I can,” Sarah explained. “I happen to have the Action Spell True Love’s Kiss, so awaken from your slumber, Fairy Tail - Sleeper!”

Sleeper appeared on the field now in face-up attack position. She was a pink cat with long, fluffy, golden hair, a big, bushy tail, and wore a orange dress. A book can be seen on her tail along with a reddish-pink bow. She let out a yawn as if she just woke up.

“So that’s a Fairy Tail monster,” Julia remarked. “Not bad, but what’s one little kitty going to do?”

“Call on a friend,” Sarah answered. “Now that Sleeper woke up from her deep sleep, she can allow me to summon another Fairy Tail from my hand. And I’m summoning Fairy Tail - Rella!”

Sleeper’s book glowed brightly, allowing Rella to make her debut as she was being summoned by popping out of the book. She was a light blue dog with her blue hair curled up, a bushy tail like Sleeper, and wore a light green dress with glass slippers. She too had a book and a bow on her tail, but the bow was aquamarine with light purple patches stitched on it.

“There’s more,” Sarah continued as she picked up an Action Card near a pumpkin. “I activate Rella’s special ability! By discarding the Action Spell Pumpkin Charm, I can retrieve the Equip Spell United We Stand from my deck and equip it to Rella!”

After Rella’s book glowed when Pumpkin Charm was sent to Sarah’s Graveyard, United We Stand increased her ATK and DEF by 800 for each of Sarah’s face up monsters on the field after she equipped it to the dog princess. She was ready to begin her Battle Phase.

“Fairy Tail - Rella, attack Lady Lapis Lazuli!” Sarah declared. “Stroke of Midnight!”

Rella ran towards Lapis Lazuli to kick the Gem-Knight Fusion with her glass slippered feet and deal 1050 damage to Julia until…

“I activate the Trap card Brilliant Spark!” Julia declared. “Since Rella attacked Lapis Lazuli, you lose 1850 life points!”

Brilliant Spark sent a blast to Sarah to decrease her LP to 2150; however, Julia noticed a small smirk on her opponent’s face and soon caught on the one mistake she made: she now has no monsters on her side of the field, meaning she was vulnerable for a direct attack from Sleeper.

“Fairy Tail - Sleeper, attack Julia directly!” Sarah declared. “Spindle Prick!”

Sleeper extended her front arms and aimed it at the Gem-Knight user and proceeded to shoot out needles towards her, reducing her LP down to a mere 300. Some of the audience members in the stadium that were watching the duel between Julia and Sarah and were ecstatically crazy at how an incomplete archetype can result in such an amazing turn-around.

“Amazing!” someone had cried out. “Those Fairy Tails are so powerful!”

“I don’t know,” someone else said. “Don’t you think it’s unfair that she’s able to pull that off with the Action Field?”

That made Julia realize Sarah had an unfair advantage. “You wouldn’t have been able to use your combo without that Action Spell!” she pointed out.

Sarah let out a small laugh. “That’s not true,” she explained. “My whole deck is based off of this Action Field. Sure I have my Fairy Tails, but I also included various support cards that act exactly the same way as the Action Cards from Fairy Tail Palace. Dueling on this Action Field only speeds up my combos and strategies.”

Julia was rapidly taken back by what she heard because it turns out that she was at a fair disadvantage, not Sarah having an unfair advantage. The explanation made the people watching the two girls’ duel grew more enthusiastic; even the person who questioned about the tactic had second thoughts of what he said and admitted that it was actually a clever use of the Fairy Tails archetype. Naturally, Nico spotted the marvelous strategy used against the dark-haired girl on the monitor.

“Incredible!” Nico exclaimed. “It appears Sarah Glitters is a lot smarter than we initially thought! Having memorized a whole Action Field and working her deck around it is a clever strategy!”

“Well I don’t know about y'all, but I’m more focused on Team Turbo,” Melissa commented. “I think I r'member seein’ those three fellas from the Friendship Cup, but Miss Rin is somethin’ special. Her Windwitches are quite a powerful force.”

“I’ll just conclude my turn with a face-down,” Sarah said. “But sadly, Rella has to return United We Stand back to my hand.”

With her book glowing, Rella lowered her ATK and DEF to their original amounts as Sarah removed the Equip Spell and returned it to her hand. Julia drew a card to start her turn and looked at what was in her hand. It wasn’t a Polymerization or an alternative Fusion Spell card, but it was better than nothing. She activated Monster Reborn to bring back Lapis Lazuli; now she needed to find an Action Spell that centers on Fusion Summoning, so she ran through the Palace, looking for one. She found one on a chair that was near a small bureau with an oval mirror and grabbed it, only to react in dismay at what it is.

“What?!” she exclaimed, looking at the Action Card she just picked up.

“That would be the Action Trap Severed Toe,” Sarah explained. “It causes all of your monsters to lose half their attack points until the beginning of your next turn. Didn’t you notice the blood-stained knife?”

She looked at the top of the bureau to see the bloody knife and slowly realized there were visual representations around the Action Field. True Love’s Kiss near a spinning wheel, Pumpkin Charm next to a pumpkin, Severed Toe on top of a chair near a knife… Action Spells represented rewards while Action Traps were punishments. Julia stared in disbelief as Lapis Lazuli was having trouble standing up due to now having 1200 ATK. Looking at her hand, empty and cordless, she questioned herself if this Trap she played was her punishment for relying too much on her Gem-Knights and not knowing a lot about fairytales in this duel. With no other move to make, she chose to end her turn. She would have surrendered, but she didn’t, which was perfect for Sarah. It was time to unleash her secret weapon.

“My turn!” Sarah declared as she drew a card. “And I’ll start things off by summoning Fairy Tail - Luna!”

Luna spun herself into the field upon being summoned. She was an orange fox with long, blue hair that had a few teal streaks, a bushy tail like the other Fairy Tails, and wore a kimono with top being green and having red edges and the bottom being orange-pink and having floral patterns on it. She carried a dark brown fan with a light blue crescent moon and a pink flower with a red-to-greenish-blue gradient on the ribbons. Her tail had an opened scroll and a dual-colored tied-up string—one half was red while the other half was light purplish-pink.

“Then I activate Fairy Tail - Luna’s special ability!” Sarah continued, causing Luna’s scroll to glow. “I can retrieve another Fairy Tail from my deck, which I can special summon with the right card…”

Ultimately Sarah was able to find an Action Card next a statue of a deer. “And I’ll use this Action Spell: Animal Call! Since I have at least one Fairy Tail on my field, I can summon another one to join them. So I’ll summon the very one I retrieved thanks to Luna, and her name is Fairy Tail - Snow!”

Snow scurried onto the field to join her Fairy Tail friends. She was a light-skin-toned squirrel with a brown bob hairstyle that had some red streaks and had a light green with a small, white polka-dotted patterned bow. She wore a red dress with a white collared underdress and two light green bows: one with white polka dots in front of her neck and a plain one on the back. Like the other Fairy Tails, she also had a long, bushy tail, which had an opened book with a light green bow.

Four Fairy Tails, each being a Level 4 monster. That could only mean one thing: Sarah had everything she needed to bring out her secret weapon.

“I heard of Fairy Tail - Snow,” Julia said. “You’re going to use her special ability to flip my monster into face-down defense mode.”

Sarah let out a laugh. “True, but not this duel.”

Her demeanor suddenly changed into a more…ruthless personality. She was no longer the sweet, shy girl with higher self-esteem as she was getting ready to continue her Main Phase.

“Funny how a chance encounter with a handsome prince can change a maiden such as myself,” Sarah said. “How he can suddenly appear out of nowhere with a smile and encourage you to break out of your shell. Meeting someone that beautiful, both inside and out, really is something special.”

Julia was confused. “Who are you talking about?” she asked.

“But I don’t mind that the prince was meant to be with another maiden,” Sarah continued. “I dared not to tamper with their destined paths. Yet I’m not sure when, but I know I’ll ultimately find a prince who will love me just as much.”

Sarah closed her eyes. “This is for you, Yuya Sakaki.” She opened her eyes, a newfound spark emerging. “Fairy Tails Luna, Rella, Snow, and Sleeper, join forces to create the Overlay Network!”

All four Fairy Tails formed a circle and joined paws with each other before constructing the Overlay Network. Just then, as a result of preparing to XYZ Summon, ice formed all throughout Fairy Tail Palace and spread to the other two sections, covering the entirety of Block B in an icy sheet.

“Hey, what gives?!” Kit asked. “What’s with all the ice?!”

Yuto let out a deep chuckle. “Let’s just say the Queen is coming,” he answered.

Dipper had a hard time standing properly. “Where did all this ice come from?!” he asked.

“From the Queen,” Lulu answered.

An icy wind swirled all over Fairy Tail Palace. “Mistress of the cold, emerge onto the field and punish the wicked of this world!” Sarah chanted. “I XYZ Summon Fairy Tail - Queen!”

Queen made her debut by having snow and wind encircle around the Overlay Network as she appeared onto the duel field. Her attribute was WATER instead of LIGHT, but her ATK and DEF remained the same as the other Fairy Tails. She was an arctic fox with long, luscious, icy blueish-white hair. She wore a blue, floor-length dress with light blue fur around the chest area and hips, as well as on her lower arms, and long, icy blue gloves that extend up to her back side of her hands. Her accessories consisted of a crown with beads around her head and multiple necklaces; they, along with the fur around the upper chest and hips, were all encrusted with blue gems.

“This is the true power of Fairy Tails,” Sarah explained. “They’re pretty powerful individually, but when they come together, they become unstoppable.”

Julia couldn’t believe what she was hearing; how can an incomplete archetype prove themselves to be more than just incomplete? Their abilities coincided fluidly with the Action Cards and Field, and now that they were Overlay Units to their mighty Queen, she was going to be shown the undying loyalty that all five monsters shared with each other and how they have potential for being used in Duel Monsters.

“I activate Fairy Tail - Queen’s special ability!” Sarah declared. “By using one Overlay Unit, she places a Mirror Counter inside your monster’s heart, preventing it from attacking during your next turn!”

A shard of glass that looked like it was from a broken mirror popped in front of Queen’s paw and she threw it into Lapis Lazuli’s heart, giving her a Mirror Counter and preventing her from attacking.

“But there’s more,” Sarah continued. “As long as there’s at least one monster on the field with a Mirror Counter, Fairy Tail - Queen can attack you directly!”

An increasingly thunderstruck Julia yelled out the “What?!” card because what Sarah said basically means she is screwed. Even if she activates Lapis Lazuli’s effect, it still wouldn’t make a difference.

“Precisely,” Sarah replied. “This duel is officially over. Fairy Tail - Queen, attack with Unforgiving Blizzard!”

Queen raised her paw and thrust it in Julia’s direction, commanding a blast of heavy snow to attack her. She got pelted with fast, hard-hitting snowflakes and the strong winds blew her off her feet and tumbled her on the icy floors, wiping out her remaining 300 LP.

“And there it is, folks!” Nico announced. “The first winner of Block B is Sarah Glitters of Team Noble!”

The audience cheered as loudly as they could as a way to congratulate Sarah on her victory and her spectacular usage of Fairy Tails. The Action Field and Queen both disintegrated to signal the duel’s conclusion, causing the girls’ ballgowns to revert back to their normal clothes.

Julia was about to stand back up when Sarah walked over to her. “That was a fun duel,” the XYZ user said, reaching out her hand.

This made Julia start blushing; everything about this scenario was exactly like the time she was defeated by Zuzu during the Arc League Championship.  She looked at Sarah, who was back to her usual personality as seen by her smile, and then back at her hand for only a few silent seconds.

Julia grabbed onto Sarah’s hand, letting her help her stand back up. “I’m impressed,” she said. “Those Fairy Tails sure are amazing, kinda like you.”

“Aww, thank you!” Sarah replied. “Your Gem-Knights look amazing as well.”

Julia was flattered by Sarah’s compliment and quickly realized that she might be developing a crush on her. She always was shown to be more attracted to females than males, which was most evident during her first tournament defeat. This was practically déjà vu for her; only this time, she was developing feelings for Sarah because she knows about Zuzu’s feelings for Yuya.

“Mauling Mandible Charge!”

“Graceful Winds!”

Yuto and Lulu declared their ace monsters’ signature attacks to deplete Kit and Dipper’s down to 0. As a result, with a score of 3-0, Team Noble claimed the victory for the Block B’s first three simultaneous duels, causing the audience to cheer and applaud for their first wins. The other two Action Fields and the monsters vanished as the two sections returned to their original appearances. Outside of the block, Team You Show were waiting for their turn to duel and watched Sarah, Yuto, and Lulu win against Team Ace, meaning the next three duels will revolve around the kids battling against the three XYZ users, followed by the three representatives of LID’s special summoning courses.

But while Tate and Fredrick were expressing concern regarding being able to keep up in the next round, Allie was absolutely amazed. She kept her eyes on Lulu’s duel, watching how the dark-haired beauty dueled. In Allie’s young, innocent mind, Lulu was a lot like the princesses she read in books. And if that wasn’t enough, there was a high possibility that she would duel the wheelchair-bound princess.

Julia, Kit, and Dipper all walked out of the mini arena to wait for their next duels, wishing the kids good luck and to do their best against Team Noble and the formers. Team You Show all replied that they will as they headed in to start the next matches in Block B. The rest of the blocks were also displaying the outcomes from the other duels via monitor screens. The audience went wild with the victories they watched while Nico and Melissa expressed the action unfolding in the arenas and predicted who would win the preliminaries…


	19. Beauty and the Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Round 2 of the Team Duel Tournament begins! But while Lulu shows off her acting skills, Melissa quickly realizes something's wrong with Yugo...

“So I’m facing off against you,” Lulu told Allie once Team You Show entered the field.

“Yep!” Allie replied. “I’m Allie Ayukawa, and it’s an honor to duel a real life princess.”

Lulu remembered hearing Allie calling her a real life princess as she was about to recite the Duelist’s Oath. It must have been the outfit she’s wearing for the tournament that rose confusion among the little girls. She wore a simple white, knee-length dress with frilled sleeves around the shoulders and had black and white stripes on the rims of the neckline, sleeves and bottom of the dress. Like the other dresses she’s been wearing lately, this one had an elliptical neckline that covered her cleavage while also exposing her marking on her chest. And with her matching white flats and her hair tied in a messy bun, no wonder little girls kept on mistaking her for an actual princess. After realizing that, she figured this would be the perfect opportunity to practice her acting skills. This would be the first time she’s done this since her surgery and recovery.

“But of course,” Lulu replied, reaching up to remove the feather clips she used to pin up her hair. “Quite an honor to meet a young fan.”

Once the clips were out, she proceeded to untie her bun, letting down her long, dark purple hair. It’s a known fact that princesses have long hair, so she’s got to stay in-character. Allie was awestruck and starry-eyed at how beautiful Lulu’s hair was, especially with the sparkly vision she was having.

“You’re so pretty!” Allie asked. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Funny you should mention that,” Lulu answered. “My boyfriend is right over there.” She pointed at Yuto. “He is quite a handsome knight.”

The two girls’ conversation made Yuto embarrassed. He was glad to be Lulu’s boyfriend, but with a young child in the proximity asking a real life princess if she’s dating anyone, it can get rather awkward for him. He simply cleared his throat as he adjusted his tie, indicating Lulu that the second round was about to begin.

“I apologize for the interruption, but Sir Yuto is right,” Lulu told Allie. She proceeded to activate the Duel Disk built into her wheelchair. “We must begin our duel.”

Yuto looked away from how abashed he was at being given a knightly nickname at a time like this. Lulu wasn’t doing this on purpose; she was just getting into character to lessen the sudden confusion from the little girls. After regaining his composure, he glanced from across the arena to meet face to face with his opponent: Tate Yamashiro.

“I think I remember you,” Yuto said. “You’re that Deskbot kid Yuya knows.”

“Yep!” Tate happily answered. “I’ve seen your Phantom Knights in action. They’re alright, but can they survive the strengthening power of my Pendulum cards?”

“Probably,” Yuto replied. He proceeded to activate his Duel Disk. “But we’ll just have to see.”

Tate also turned on his Duel Disk to face off against Yuya’s XYZ counterpart and pit his Deskbots against the Phantom Knights. With two duels already determined in terms of who’s dueling who, that means Sarah’s opponent is Frederick Harada. Unfortunately, due to Fredrick’s accent and quick way of speaking, Sarah had a hard time understanding what he was saying.

“Uh… I wish you luck…?” Sarah asked.

“Ya, you too!” Fredrick cheerfully replied.

At least Sarah understood that sentence as the two activated their Duel Disks. With everyone ready for the second set of the simultaneous duels, Block B was divided into its three sections again as different Action Fields materialized in each section. Coincidentally, Lulu and Allie’s Field was set in a castle, but it wasn’t Fairy Tail Palace; this time, it was Crystal Corridor, helping establish the princess topic they were just discussing about.

“Oh, wow!” Allie exclaimed. “It’s so pretty!”

“Why, thank you,” Lulu replied. “A lady such as myself needs a proper stage for a true performance.”

The light that shown through the windows of Crystal Corridor helped make Lulu appear more sparkly, highlighting her natural beauty. Allie was even more amazed with this added detail.

“Wow!” the red-haired girl exclaimed. “I wish I had long hair like yours!”

“But you can,” Lulu happily said. “It takes years to learn how to properly maintain long hair, but the results are quite amazing.”

Allie never thought about having long hair, but hearing that she can grow it out and take care of it made her inspired. Once the winning teams are revealed, she will talk to her mom about it during the intermission.

“Uh… Can we begin, your highness?” Yuto called out from his side of the arena.

“My apologies, beloved knight!” Lulu replied. “I am now ready to take part in what might be quite an unforgettable duel!”

With a collective shout of “Let’s duel!” from the Duelists in Block B and the rest of the arena, the next set of duels began.

“You should go first,” Allie decided.

“Very well,” Lulu said. “And I shall summon my friends to help! Come to me, songbirds of the forest!”

For her first turn, Lulu special summoned Cobalt Sparrow, Sapphire Sparrow, and Turquoise Warbler. With her three monsters ready, it was time to XYZ Summon.

“Now, birds of the forest, join forces and become one with nature!” Lulu declared. She overlayed her three Level 1 Lyrilusc monsters to build the Overlay Network to XYZ Summon her ace monster.

“Birds with beautiful wings, gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight in the bright sky!” Lulu chanted. “I XYZ Summon Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale!”

As Assembled Nightingale flew onto the field, it immediately activated Lulu’s Skill. She sang the same melody from earlier with her duel against Dipper, causing the songbirds to fly to where she was again. Simultaneously, her marking glowed blue from her chest and her monster gained an additional 500 ATK as the En Birds symbol flashed on her forehead. She may not be able to attack on the first turn, but she can always use her Skill again for her Battle Phase. She played two face-down cards and passed the turn to Allie.

“Alright!” Allie cheered as she drew a card. “And I’ll start things off by summoning Aquactress Guppy! Then I’ll activate three Continuous Spell cards: Aquarium Lighting, Stage, and Set!”

Aquarium is an archetype consisting of three Continuous Spells. Lighting can double Allie’s battling Aquaactress’ current ATK and DEF, Stage can prevent WATER monsters from being destroyed while negating the opposing monster’s effects that target Aquaactress monsters, and Set gives all Aquaactress and WATER monsters 300 ATK and DEF. All three cards also share a common effect: Allie can target and special summon one Aquaactress monster if any of the Spells are sent to the Graveyard; however, she can’t special summon monsters other than Aquaactress until the end of her turn.

“And I hate to do this, but Aquaactress Guppy will now attack Assembled Nightingale!” Allie said.

“How unfortunate,” Lulu said. “Because you have declared an attack, I shall activate the Trap card Dimension Guardian to protect my beloved songbird from harm!”

Dimension Guardian can prevent battle damage and card effects from destroying Assembled Nightingale, but if the monster gets sent to the Graveyard, so does the Continuous Trap card.

“I never originally had this card in my deck,” Lulu explained as the statue that represented Dimension Guardian appeared behind Assembled Nightingale. “But when Sir Yuto told me how powerful Traps can be, I simply had to add this one to my deck.”

“Awww!” Allie gushed. “That’s so romantic!”

Meanwhile, in the middle section of the arena, Yuto overheard the reasoning for Lulu adding Dimension Guardian and Allie’s reaction to it. Even though it was true, he can’t hide his embarrassment from what he was hearing.

“Are you alright?” Tate asked.

“Huh?” Yuto asked. “Oh, right.” He cleared his throat, the blush never leaving his face. “I XYZ Summon The Phantom Knights of Break Sword! Rise, my great beast!”

As Yuto carried out his first Main Phase of his duel with Tate, it was his girlfriend’s turn again as she drew a card from her deck. She looked at what was in her hand before making her move.

“I must say, this is quite a fun duel,” Lulu said, sounding a bit sad. “I feel rather heartbroken to finish you off…”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Allie replied.

“Hmm?” Lulu asked.

“The last time I took part in a tournament was when I face off against Riley Akaba,” Allie explained, recalling the Arc League Championship. “Ever since then, I’ve been trying to get stronger. So if I can learn something from this duel, I’ll only make myself even stronger afterwards.”

Lulu remembered Riley’s name from her sleepover with her counterparts and knew the young Akaba used to be a little boy with powerful dueling dexterity. She was also rather astonished to meet a determined girl like Allie. It was amazing to know how the young girl truly learns from her losses to train herself for her future victories, and it was all thanks to the Critical Eye user.

“Very well,” Lulu said. “I shall show you the true power of XYZ! I activate two Spell cards called Overlay Regen, which shall transform into Overlay Units for Assembled Nightingale!”

Now having five Overlay Units, Assembled Nightingale’s ATK increased to 1000 since the two Overlay Regens became XYZ Materials. As a result, thanks to its effects, Lulu can attack Allie directly to deal a total of 5000 damage, but if she used her Skill to increase it to 1500 ATK, the damage would dramatically rise up to 7500 in all! Will the red-haired girl handle this strength during the Battle Phase? Only one way to find out…

“Aren’t you going to activate your Skill?” Allie asked.

“I’m…not exactly sure,” Lulu admitted, starting to slip out of character.

The Lyrilusc user began to grow hesitant about attacking her opponent directly. If Allie was at least a teenager, then it would be no big deal to inflict 5000 to 7500 total damage, but this? A young kid having to face such brutal force is heart-wrenching from just thinking about it. Maybe that was another reason why Shay had Sarah fill him in during the first round: using Rise Falcon’s effect against a youthful Duelist would end up reminding him about his attacks against LID, making him feel terrible, which would be ten times worse if he did dueled against one of Team You Show’s members.

“But Ms. Obsidian, aren’t you a princess?” Allie asked.

“What?” Lulu asked, surprised by the question.

“I know princesses are beautiful, but that’s not their only thing,” Allie explained. “A true princess is fearless, tough, and refuses to give up despite all the bad stuff happening to her. Isn’t that what you are? A true princess?”

A silent Lulu almost forgot about the princess’s important qualities because she was letting her fear of Allie’s safety getting the best of her. It was nice that she was worried for a good reason, but she doesn’t want to be overprotective; children grow up everyday and they face endless challenges, some that may put their well-being on the line. They can range from a simple illness or injuries to life-threatening diseases or severe body damage. The best they can do is get the love, support, and aid they need from their friends, family, loved ones, doctors, and others that they can trust.

Before she decided on activating her Skill or not, Lulu asked if Allie was going to be okay, still feeling a little unsure on obtaining victory like this.

“Don’t worry,” Allie cheerfully said. “I watched your previous duel. A little wind won’t bother me.”

“…….Very well,” Lulu said, getting back into character. “I shall end this duel properly.”

Lulu activated her Skill to give Assembled Nightingale an additional 500 ATK, all while her En Birds mark glowed near her heart and sang to the summoning songbirds once more.

“Lyrilusc - Assembled Nightingale, finish this duel with multiple direct attacks!” Lulu declared once she finished her song. “Graceful Winds!”

Her monster unleashed his signature attack by flapping its wings to send strong gusts of wind at Allie. Her LP went from 4000 to 2500, then to 1000, and finally to 0, making Lulu’s finishing move a OTK and giving Team Noble four wins. As Crystal Corridor faded away and the section returned to normal, the dark-purple-haired girl wheeled towards where her recently-defeated opponent was to see if she was alright.

“My goodness,” Lulu said as she tied her hair back up in a messy bun. “Are you alright, Mermaid Princess of Atlantis?”

“What did you call me?” Allie asked.

“The Mermaid Princess of Atlantis,” Lulu repeated. “Legend spoke of how a wicked sea witch kidnapped an infant princess and cursed her into a human. For years, Atlanteans have been trying to find her, but no progress has been made until now.”

“How come?” Allie asked.

“Your Aquaactress cards are actually Atlanteans in disguise,” Lulu explained. “As long as you continue to duel with those cards, your true heritage will never be forgotten.”

Allie never knew she was an Atlantean mermaid princess in the past and her archetype have found her ever since the day she obtained them. Hearing this new information was wondrous for the juvenile girl. She then was curious about this revelation; how does Lulu know about this legend and where did she learn it from? Hopefully, once the tournament is over, these questions will be answered.

“Are you sure?” Allie asked.

“Of course, young mermaid princess,” Lulu answered. “A princess always looks out for fellow royalty.”

Allie’s eyes lit up out of excitement from discovering this new information. “Thank you!” she exclaimed, giving Lulu a hug.

Despite being handicapped, Lulu hugged Allie back, causing the audience members who watched the two girls’ duel to be touched by their somber moment. Even Nico commented on their exchange, but he mentioned that Team Noble needed two more victories for them to move on to the second round. He then directed his attention to Block B’s monitor, where Yuto and Sarah were still dueling against Tate and Frederick respectively.

“My goodness!” Melissa exclaimed. “What in tarnation is goin’ on with Yugo?!”

“Whatever do you mean?” Nico asked.

“I’m not sure,” Melissa admitted. “But he’s been actin’ like a wild bull throughout the tournament.”

During the first batch of duels, Melissa had noticed Yugo seemed a bit off, but she wasn’t sure what. His next duel convinced her that his dueling style has transformed into somewhat violent tactics. Shinji caught what the cowgirl announcer explained through her microphone and he was pretty concerned.

“You’re not gonna interfere with my dreams!” Yugo angrily exclaimed. “Clear Wing Fast Dragon, rip his monster to shreds!”

Clear Wing Fast Dragon is similar to Clear Wing Synchro Dragon in terms of appearance and stats; they’re both Level 7 monsters with 2500 ATK and 2000 DEF, but Fast Dragon is also a Scale 4 Pendulum monster, meaning she has two effects. Her Pendulum effect enables Yugo to send 1 Speedroid Tuner and 1 non-Tuner to the Graveyard to special summon her to the Pendulum Zone. Her monster effect involves her targeting a face-up special summoned monster from the Extra Deck on the opponent’s field and lowering its ATK to 0 while negating its effects. Both of her effects can be done once per turn, but she can be special summoned to the Pendulum Zone if she was destroyed by battle or card effect.

Clear Wing Fast Dragon brought out her iconic move as she completely obliterated the opposing monster, sending Yugo’s opponent off his feet while his LP drained down to 0. The people watching weren’t certain on how they should react to this. Yugo’s sudden brutality reminded Declan of Zarc giving in to everyone’s desire of violent Action Duels. He hoped there was a reason behind this and it wasn’t history repeating itself.

“Wait, you can stop!” the Duelist exclaimed. “You won! It’s over!”

“Oh, I’ll tell you when it’s over!” Yugo shouted, his Duel Runner speeding towards his opponent. “Eat wheel, you punk!”

Just then, Declan started feeling guilty and was unclear on why he was abruptly getting this emotion. Aichi quickly noticed this. "Are you alright, Declan?” the blue-haired young man asked.

“I’m not sure,” Declan answered, wiping a tear away from his eye. “But I feel as if I have done something that I deeply regret.”

Declan was reminiscing on his past life before the dimensional split when he was known as Seto Kaiba. He remembered meeting with Leo and agreeing to make Action Duels a reality. He remembered displaying his extreme and violent skills to demonstrate and promote the newly-created type of duel, which quickly became the social norm among the Original Dimension. He remembered what happened next: Zarc becoming champion and losing his sanity as he gave the audience what they wanted by becoming berserk and savage himself, leading to his onslaught on everyone as he killed innocent lives and brought the world to its end until Ray stepped in. Once the dimension was split into four, Kaiba was erased from existence and was reincarnated as the son of Leo and Henrietta Akaba known as Declan Akaba.

Declan quickly rushed over to the microphone. “Team Turbo, if you continue to act aggressive towards other Duelists, I will have no choice but to disqualify you from the tournament,” he ordered.

The words managed to make Yugo get the message loud and clear as he slowed his Duel Runner down to a stop. He was clearly in tears, upset over what he had nearly done. He wasn’t like this when he entered the Center Duel Field, but something deep down was frustrating him and he had almost let it consume him, only this time it made him into something monstrous, much like his past incarnation.

“My grudge towards Yuya…” Yugo realized. “Is it causing Zarc to reawaken?”

Here he was, taking part in the Team Duel Tournament and he still can’t get over his issues with Yuya. Throughout the past few weeks, the belief that everyone preferred his Pendulum counterpart over him was buried within him and has been growing into something terrible. Even if Zarc’s soul was cleansed from his darkness and soon split back into his four reincarnations, the Synchro Duelist feared about the threat that was officially settled resurfacing upon the revived Original Dimension.

Rin, who had just finished her duel, rushed over to Yugo. “What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Yuya wasn’t the only one dealing with Zarc’s darkness,” Yugo explained. “It was affecting me as well.” He took his deck out of his Duel Runner and looked through it. “It even tainted my Speedroids.”

Yugo’s monsters appeared normal, but they no longer acted like their usual selves. Thanks to the lingering darkness that kept itself hidden away within Yugo after Yuya’s revival, it gradually warped his entire strategy into a more sinister and sadistic tactic, making him hell-bent on achieving his dream of being a professional Turbo Duelist, even if it meant bringing torment and suffering to his opponents. It was all thanks to two monsters that were mysteriously added to his deck some time ago: Speedroids Skull Marbles and Maliciousmagnet.

“Where did you get those?” Rin asked.

“They appeared in my deck during my last duel with Yuri,” Yugo explained. “But no one cared about what was happening to me.” He put his deck back in his Duel Runner and stood up, tears forming in his eyes. “Because Yuya is the only important one. Nobody cares about the Synchro guy who worked hard to become the next Duel King.”

Rin walked closer to Yugo to comfort him. “You’re still upset about that?” she asked, placing her hand on his cheek.

Yugo threw off his helmet and tightly hugged Rin, too sad to even speak. Rin hugged back, lifting up her hand to stroke his hair as he sobbed. The two may be dating as of now, but they still maintained the mother-son relationship that they developed over the years. Back outside in the Center Duel Field, Nico cut off the monitor’s connection with Block C to give them some time alone; all that was temporarily seen was static.

“My apologies, folks,” Nico said. “It seems we’re experiencing some difficulties in Block C. Hopefully things should return to normal by the next round.”

Usually, the audience would be disappointed and maybe annoyed to some degree about the monitors cutting to static, but after learning about Duel Academy’s invasion during the Arc League Championship, they all saw this coming and let it slide to give Yugo and Rin some privacy.

Nico then focused back onto Block B, where Yuto and Sarah had just won their duels. Enthusiastically, he announced how Team Noble now has a total of six victories, but they shouldn’t get themselves too anticipated because the other teams were also dueling to see which ones were eligible enough to advance to the second round.


	20. Soulmates and Rivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the first round comes to an end, Yuri and Celina begin their duel for their respected teams. But will their newfound relationship prove to be a distraction?

As the first round continued, Nico proceeded to commentate on Team Obelisk’s duels against Team Lancer, who had won the first set against Team Force. Block D’s monitor had already revealed what the lineups were going to be: Yuri vs. Celina, Dennis vs. Sylvio, and Sora vs. Aura. Surely, focusing on another arena will keep everyone’s minds off of some…unfortunate moments that occurred with Team Turbo.

“My goodness,” Yuri said. “It seems I am going to duel Miss Celina.” He let out a chuckle. “She will fall right into my Predaplant trap.” His pupils became slitted once again as he finished the last sentence, which Dennis and Sora noticed since their friend was in between them.

“Whoa, calm down, dragon boy,” Sora said. “You haven’t even started the duel.”

“Whatever do you mean?” Yuri asked.

“Your eyes are doing that weird dragon thing again,” Dennis explained. “Sora and I both know that only happens when your heartbeat increases, which is usually when you’re about to win a duel.”

Well, Dennis was half right. The slitted pupils do occur whenever he has a faster heartbeat, but it is not just from winning a duel, which they were going to find out soon enough.

“My apologies,” Yuri said. “We have won all of our duels in the previous round. If we defeat Team Lancer, we’ll be able to move on to the next round.” But his pupils didn’t change back to normal.“

After Dennis and Sora gave their considerations about victory, all six Duelists readied their Duel Disks as Block D was divided into three sections. However, Yuri and Celina were starting to love each other a little too much…and they honestly hate that feeling. How can a couple date each other and loathe the emotion of love? And to make things worse for them, the selected Action Field was Moonlit Ball, another costume-provided field that turned their normal clothes into formal attire.

While Celina bit her lip as she tried not to blush upon seeing Yuri in a dark blue tuxedo with coat tails, he was having a harder time. His girlfriend wore a purplish-pink, floor-length, strapless dress that split on her right to expose her right leg and had a pair of dark magenta high heels on her feet to match. What she was wearing went really well with her shoulder-length bob cut hairstyle, making it more difficult for the Predaplant user to cope with.

"Sh-Shall we begin?” Yuri asked, his arm shaking as he activated his Duel Disk.

“S…Sure,” Celina agreed. She also activated her Duel Disk as she wished Yuri could go back to wearing his casual wear. That tuxedo looked so much better on him than his plant-themed t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

The two shouted out “Let’s duel!” to begin their match, hoping this unbearable feeling wouldn’t severely affect them.

Yuri looked at his opening hand. “My goodness,” he said, smirking. “I drew the right cards. Now I shall set the Pendulum Scale with Performapal Ballad and Performapal Barracuda!”

“When did you start using Performapals?” Celina asked.

“Oh, don’t act so surprised,” Yuri said, glad he was finally acting normal. “Yuya let me borrow those cards for the tournament since they are the only Performapals that are as lovely and elegant as my beloved Predaplants.”

“Great,” Celina replied, sounding sarcastic. “Can’t wait to see those two monstrosities-”

Her sentence was cut short when she saw the two Performapals. Ballad was a man who wielded two fencing sword and had a giant rose on his head, thorny vines behind his ears and on his left leg, and wore a white cape attached to a light chartreuse, light and dark green armor underneath a grass green vest, white pants, and brown boots with green studded straps. Barracuda was similar to Ballad, but had a darker color tone with different shades of dark purple on most of his appearance and had the vine wrapped around his right leg. There was definitely something wrong with Yuri because he would never use those cards up until now. What is he trying to do with this Pendulum Summon?

“What’s the matter, Miss Celina?” Yuri asked. “Are you surprised by my true self?”

It may or may not be that, but she was clearly surprised to see him use Plant-Type monsters that aren’t Predaplants. She was still confused on what he meant by that question; she was sure she saw his true self on the night of their date. Is there more to him than meets the eye?

Yuri let out a deep chuckle. “I’ll take your silence as a ‘yes’,” he said. “Now watch four of my beloved Predaplants appear on the field in all their beautiful glory!”

With Yuya’s Scale 2 Ballad and Scale 5 Barracuda set on the Pendulum Zones, he sent out his four Predaplants onto the field for his Pendulum Summon. Those four Predaplants were Darlingtonia Cobra, Moray Nepenthes, Pterapenthes, and Spinodionaea.

Celina was relieved. “So you’re gonna fuse them into your dragon?” she asked.

“Not quite,” Yuri replied. “I summon the Tuner monster Copy Plant!”

Once Yuri said the word “Tuner”, Celina instantly knew he wasn’t going to Fusion Summon, but Synchro Summon instead. Despite being a Level 1 monster with 0 ATK and DEF, Copy Plant’s effect allows it to target a Plant-Type monster on the field and change its Level to the target’s current Level until the end of Yuri’s turn. With three Synchro monsters to choose from, it would be hard to figure out which one he would choose, but he already had his plan figured out beforehand.

“I activate Copy Plant’s special ability!” Yuri declared. “Become a copy of Predaplant Pterapenthes and become one with Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra to Synchro Summon into Queen of Thorns!”

Queen of Thorns was a Level 6 LIGHT Plant-Type Synchro monster with 2200 ATK and 1800 DEF. Her effect involves both Duelists to pay 1000 LP to normal or special summon non-Plant-Type monsters. What Celina was more focused on was the monster’s appearance; she looked like she can harness the powers of the rose creatures that were part of her body.

“WHAT?” Celina asked.

“Hmm?” Yuri looked at her. “What ever is the matter?”

“That looks nothing like your Predaplants!” Celina pointed out. “What’s wrong with you?”

Yuri was astonished at how Celina had the capability of catching on to his not-so-subtle differences, but she failed to realize what his true intentions were, which he will reveal in due time. For now, they should focus on this duel and the tournament.

“All shall be revealed eventually,” Yuri explained as he set a card on his field. “But for now, keep in mind that you cannot summon any of your Lunalights unless you wish to give up your life points.”

Celina was alarmed by what Queen of Thorns can do because Yuri can summon Plant-Type monsters without costing any of his Life Points. It was bad enough that she can’t get rid of this feeling, but now she has to get herself out of this mess if she and her teammates want to move on to the second round. Once her opponent played a face-down to end his turn, she drew a card from her deck and looked at what she’s got. She then checked her bearings to see if there was an Action Spell that can help her out.

Luckily Celina found a nearby Action Card, but before she could get it, she was slammed by a thorny vine. “What the…?” she mused.

“Don’t think you can let an Action Card save you,” Yuri said.

Celina glanced back at Yuri, who was holding the vine and explained it was actually a whip. This was a big—and possibly the main—reason as to why he has one: it makes getting Action Cards a lot easier to grab. This made her plan to negate Queen of Thorn’s effect more challenging, but Celina was always a persistent girl and ran throughout Moonlit Ball to find another Action Card. Yuri pursued her, but didn’t bother using his whip because he can only hold one Action Card at a time.

They dashed through the Action Field until Celina could find an Action Card. With his dragon-like eyes remaining on his face, Yuri anticipated her feeble attempts to avoid not losing her Life Points from his Synchro monster’s effect. She paid no attention to him and sped up until she saw an Action Card hung up on a string of lights. She jumped onto one of the empty tables and leapt into the air to grab the card before landing on the ground to see what it was.

Celina smirked. “I activate the Action Spell Loving Spotlight to cancel your monster’s effects for one turn-”

Before she could finish, a spotlight suddenly flashed down on Queen of Thorns to create a sparkly visual. She wasn’t expecting the light to pop as it shortly blinded her; once she regained her vision, she stared back at Yuri and discovered his slitted pupils in the bright light. How long have they been like this? She obviously didn’t see them like that during the surprise opening act, so it must have been recent, but why were they slitted?

“I see,” Yuri said. “So as long as Queen of Thorns’ special ability is negated, you can bring out your Lunalights during this turn.” He used his free hand to clutch his chest. “Go ahead. Let me see your Cat Dancer try to take down my glorious queen.”

Celina has never seen Yuri’s eyes look like a serpent or a dragon until now. Since he now bears Starving Venom’s eye colors, it made the dragon-like appearance stand out more, but she was more fixated on why they were severed like that and why he was clutching his heart. They rarely interacted during their time at Duel Academy, but she does know about his friendship with Sora and Dennis, so they could know if this was normal or not.

“Alright,” Celina said. “I’ll use Polymerization to fuse my Lunalight Black Sheep and Lunalight Crimson Fox into Lunalight Cat Dancer!”

With Celina’s ace monster out on the field, it made Yuri stimulated to see Cat Dancer back for him to admire. If things couldn’t get any better, she prepared to activate her Skill. “I activate my Skill: Natural Energy Burst!”

Although it was daytime, the sky got brighter from the lunar energy because it was still night somewhere else on Earth, meaning the moon never leaves the atmosphere. Celina’s En Moons marking glowed cyan from her forehead as a matching symbol emerged on Cat Dancer’s forehead as well, making her ATK raise by 500. The combined luminescence from the sky and her marking helped make her exhibit a prettier look, something Yuri was having slight trouble to not get himself distracted by her beauty.

“Lunalight Cat Dancer, dethorn that queen!” Celina announced.

Cat Dancer, now having 2900 ATK, unleashed her trademark attack on Queen of Thorns. Yuri was supposed to play his face-down card, but Celina’s beauty diverted him from the duel as he was dealt with 700 damage, lowering his LP to 3300. The indigo-haired girl was proud of herself for vanquishing a monster with a admittedly useful effect. She set two cards face down and passed the turn onto her opponent, but he looked dazed and sidetracked for some odd reason. Her Battle Phase was already over, so why can’t he stop thinking about her?

Yuri let out a loving sigh. “You are quite a lovely sight, Miss Celina,” he said, calmly walking over to her. “How about we forget this duel and embrace the elegance of this Action Field?” He held out his hand.

Celina stood there as she admired the tuxedo Yuri was wearing, which was completed with a pair of white gloves that she never noticed beforehand. She couldn’t prevent herself from not thinking about how handsome he looked as the two dropped their Duel Disks with music filling up the middle section. In between it, the Predaplant user’s friends were struggling against Sylvio and Aura respectively in the other two sections. Despite switching archetypes, Dennis’ Shaddolls failed to keep up with Sylvio’s Abyss Actors whereas Sora wasn’t expecting Aura’s Prediction Princesses to be formidable against his Fluffals, Edge Imps, and Frightfurs. At the same time, they all heard the classical ballroom music through the dividers, wondering what was going on.

“Hey Yuri!” Sora exclaimed, riding on Frightfur Wolf as the Fusion monster ran all over the field to avoid Prediction Princess Tarotrei’s attacks. “What’s going on back there?!”

“Oh dear,” Dennis remarked after using an Action Spell to protect El Shaddoll Wendigo from harm. “That doesn’t sound good at all.”

The audience members watching the duels in Block D were confused and concerned by this unexpected twist. Were Yuri and Celina…both surrendering their duel…because of their contagious love for each other? Whether it was or not, this was something that wasn’t seem everyday, especially in a card game.

“Are you…asking me to dance?” Celina asked, feeling weird.

“Of course,” Yuri answered. “You are quite stunning, Miss Celina.”

“Stunning…” That was a word Yuri never used to describe his Predaplants. Celina was flattered by the compliment as a pink hue covered her cheeks. She asked herself if this was a sign that he genuinely loved her. Her response? Yes. Definitely. Absolutely. With the two lost in the depths of their trance, they began waltzing lovingly all over Moonlit Ball, much to the bafflement and distress of some of the people and Nico.

“You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me!” Melissa cried out. “First Yuya and Crow tried to turn the Friendship Cup into a circus, now this?! When are these Duelists gonna take tournaments seriously?!”

Nico had no idea what Melissa was talking about, so she explained to him—as well as those from the Pendulum, XYZ, and Fusion Dimensions—about what Yuya and Crow did during their match in the Friendship Cup Semifinals.

“It was mighty strange,” Melissa explained. “Instead of duelin’ properly, those folks thought it was a good idea to start off their duel by entertainin’ the crowd with Tokens. Even I’m not sure why they decided to do that.”

Fortunately, Nico knew exactly what she was talking about and mentioned that it was an example of an Entertainment Duel. He should know because he broadcasted Action Duels, which were significantly popular among Dueltainers like Yusho, Yuya, and Zuzu.

“So those Dueltainers really are that flashy?” Melissa asked.

“Precisely,” Nico explained. “So what Celina and Yuri are doing is providing that kind of entertainment…” He quickly checked their bios. “…which is odd because they’re not actually Dueltainers.”

The two announcers pondered on what was causing Celina and Yuri’s abrupt “entertainment”. Although they claimed how ironic it was for two teens who grew up in Duel Academy could end up Dueltaining the people, they were wavering on how long it will last because this waltz might give both Teams Obelisk and Lancer a losing point.

“Wait a moment!” Nico realized. “What kind of an Action Field is Moonlit Ball?! I never heard about it until now!”

He browsed through a list of Action Fields that were created, applying filters to make sure they were in alphabetical order, would only find those starting with “M,” and provided costume for the Duelists. No results showed up about Moonlit Ball, which made Nico contemplate on whether this card was fake, limited, or banned.

“Folks, it appears Moonlit Ball is not an official Action Field,” Nico revealed. “The duel between Yuri and Celina does not count as an official tournament duel.”

Discussions arose from several groups of people; at least they now know if Yuri and Celina were actually forfeiting the duel or not. It still doesn’t change the fact that Dennis and Sora were on the brink of defeat and needed to find ways to win against Sylvio and Aura if they want to progress to the second round. While they glued their attentions to the two official tournament duels, Leo was more satisfied with the unforeseen outcome as he watched his former Obelisk Force soldier and former Duel Academy student dance to the rhythm of the waltz music.

“Well done Yuri,” Leo said. “That Action Field I created was just the right push.”

A few minutes later, the waltz ended and Yuri and Celina continues to embrace each other. “Not bad,” Celina remarked, noticing Yuri’s dragon eyes have changed back to normal. “You’re a good dancer.”

“Thank you,” Yuri replied. “It was part of my etiquette lessons. However, I’m surprised on how graceful you are.”

“I’ve been taking ballroom dance lessons,” Celina said, leaning in towards her boyfriend. “Gotta keep up the pace.”

“Well you certainly have improved,” Yuri said, also leaning in as well so his and Celina’s lips were barely touching. “You have proven to be quite a stunning lady, and I love that so much.”

A gratified Celina was too adrift in her abstraction she let her face blush harder than it did earlier. She also leaned forward towards Yuri, with the latter following suit. Their mouths entwined with each other, and with their lips locked in place, they shared a kiss that was difficult to be avoided for two young teenagers with little-to-no non-dueling social skills. Unbeknownst to them, their surroundings changed back into a regular section and they were wearing their normal clothes again as Moonlit Ball and their provided costumes vanished away so that Nico could replace it with an official Action Field.

“Sorry folks, but Yuri and Celina will have to restart their duel on an official Action Field,” Nico explained. “The one I have selected for them is Predaplanet War Arena.”

With a click of a button, the section transformed into Predaplanet War Arena momentarily after Yuri and Celina parted their lips for air. They then picked up their Duel Disks and walked back to their positions to properly start their tournament duel. However, their faces were expressed differently than what was usually seen in their previous duels. Instead of their typical emotions of rage, they were more…respectful of one another…on a mutual level. With the few weeks spent apart from each other, their personalities matured quite significantly. Maybe some time alone was what they needed after all.

“I must say, Miss Celina, there’s quite a spark in your eyes,” Yuri remarked. “Such confidence…” He smiled. “I like it.”

“You changed too,” Celina replied. “You’re not as annoying as you initially were weeks ago.”

“Then how about we settle our feud once and for all?” Yuri asked as he activated his Duel Disk.

Celina smirked as she activated her Duel Disk. “Challenge accepted,” she replied.

With that being said, the two officially initiated their duel as Yuri began his first turn. For the very first time, this was truly a pure Fusion fuel between him and Celina. Predaplants vs. Lunalights. Starving Venom vs. Cat Dancer. Their past duels pale in comparison to the what they were displaying in the tournament, but it was only a matter of time to determine who will move on to the second round.

Using the Action Field to his advantage, Yuri whipped at Action Cards to take them and utilize them with his Predaplants, but Celina wasn’t fazed as she attempted to find Spells and Traps to help her out. In other words, their duel went smoothly and brought more joy and glee to the audience watching it than it did earlier. Eventually, they were near the end and have already summoned their strongest Fusion monsters.

“So here we are,” Yuri said. “My lovely Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon against your Lunalight Leo Dancer. Shall we see who has the strongest Fusion?”

“We shall,” Celina agreed. “But keep in mind that Leo Dancer is immune to your dragon’s special abilities.”

“True,” Yuri said. “But I’ll find some other way to win.”

Celina replied that he wouldn’t count on it as she declared an attack with Leo Dancer. She destroyed Greedy Venom and dealt 700 damage to Yuri’s Life Points thanks to Natural Energy Burst; normally, according to one of her effects, all special summoned monsters the opponent controlled would be destroyed as well, but since Yuri’s field was completely empty, he was vulnerable for a direct attack. Coincidentally, another effect enables her to attack a second time during each Battle Phase, which was what she did as took out the rest of his Life Points to make her owner the winner of this duel and to give Team Lancer a win for this round.

Celina was surprised. “Did I…actually defeat Yuri?” she asked, completely surprised. Then she smile wide. “Yes! Team Lancer’s going straight to the top!”

Just as she was done exclaiming that statement, the dividers lowered down to reveal Sylvio and Aura were both defeated by Dennis and Sora. Block D was done with their duels and all three teams in the block must wait for the results to see who will move on. Celina, on the other hand, was speechless and confused on why her teammates lost.

“What happened?” Celina asked.

“I’m not sure,” Aura admitted. “I thought I was winning, but then Sora merged his three Frightfurs into this three-headed snake creature and crushed my Prediction Princesses!”

“I have to agree with you,” Sylvio replied. “I thought my Abyss Actors have become stronger. It seems those Shaddoll creatures are far more powerful than I initially thought.”

Yuri saw how well his friends did, but he noticed a dismayed Celina. It was nice to know she finally beat him in Duel Monsters, yet she and her teammates may not be placed in the next round. Perhaps an affectionate moment may cheer her up.

Without warning, Yuri hugged Celina from behind and planted a kiss on her neck. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“I believe it’s what a lot of people call 'affection’,” Yuri answered, feeling her soft hair on his cheek.

“Sounds disgusting,” Celina said. She then heard a small whimper from Yuri, who was still holding onto her and trying to cheer her up. In retrospect, in the eyes of a girl with hardly any social skills, this display of affection was actually kind of cute.

The indigo-haired girl let out a sigh in defeat. “Do it again,” she said as she tilted her head to the side.

Without any hesitation, Yuri resumed giving Celina pecks on her neck. It was obvious that they may need to take some time to get the hang of being in a relationship.

“Attention all Duelists,” Declan said over the microphone. “All teams are reported to come back to the Center Duel Field. The final results have been calculated.”

The four teams standing outside the four mini arenas headed back to their seats, with the other eight teams exiting said arenas and trailed down to do the same thing. Once everyone was seated, Declan and Aichi walked towards the stage to reveal who will be advancing to round two.

“Before we announce the winner, I have something important to say,” Declan said.

“What?” Aichi asked. “Declan, if this is about Team Turbo-”

“It’s not,” Declan said. “My father, Leo Akaba, was not responsible for the rise of Zarc. It was me. I am the sole reason that this whole mess happened.”

Everyone in the Center Duel Field and in the audience were muddled on what Declan was talking about. …Well, most of them. The Yu-Salad didn’t see the teenage CEO of Leo Corporation on the stage; instead, they saw his past incarnation Seto Kaiba, apologizing for the Original Dimension’s demise several years ago.

**“It was my aggressive dueling style that started the trend of violent Action Duels,”** Kaiba said. **“I was only demonstrating the new type of Solid Vision. I honestly had no idea that the demonstration would cause the world to separate into four dimensions. It was my fault that Zarc gave in to peer pressure. It was my fault that Leo nearly killed four innocent girls. And…”** He took a deep breath. **“I am very sorry for everything. So if you want to hate me, go ahead. I deserve it.”**

“No, you don’t!”

The audience gasped in shock at the sudden outburst from Yuya, who was standing up from his seat as he remarked it out loud. “You might have been the reason for the dimensions separating, but you can’t feel guilty for what happened during the Interdimensional War!” the tomato-haired teen continued.

**“But if it wasn’t for me, you would have had a completely different life,”** Kaiba pointed out.

Yuto stood up. “Don’t say that,” he said. “You might have been the unintentional reason for Zarc’s rise to power, but your actions helped shape new futures for us.”

“Yeah!” Yugo agreed, also standing up. “Thanks to you, we got second chances. We’re practically new people now.”

Yuri stood up as well. “So don’t stand there and feel bad about yourself,” he said. “We were able to redeem ourselves and become better people.”

“You see?” Yuya asked. “While we came to accept that we were once one person, we now know that we’ve become more than that. We’re now individuals and your actions allowed us to be together in spirit.” He glanced at Yuto. “And some of us are closer because of fate.”

Yuto smiled in response to what his cousin was referring to. “Counterparts by chance,” he said, looking at Yuya. “Cousins by fate.”

“Exactly,” Yuya replied. He looked back at Kaiba. “And if it wasn’t for you…” He took out three cards from his deck. “…I wouldn’t have been great at other summoning techniques.”

Those three cards were Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon’s special summoning counterparts: Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon, Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon, and Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon. After Zarc and Ray split back into their reincarnations, Yuya got these cards to replace Dark Rebellion, Clear Wing, and Starving Venom to give himself an identity even though the four Dimension Dragons helped bond the Yu-Salad together. Thanks to Absolute Dragon, he also now has yet another dragon within his deck called Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon.

“These cards represent my individuality,” Yuya continued. “I no longer have the other three Dimension Dragons, but these Odd-Eyes variants are a way to show that I have changed as a person. If I never met my other selves, I wouldn’t have been on the proper starting path to becoming a pro. As long as these three cards are by my side, I’ll be able to use my power to keep the world entertained and smiling.”

Kaiba was surprised to hear that. **“I appreciate the words, but-”**

“Okay Declan, I think you already confused enough people,” Aichi politely interrupt.

“My apologies,” Declan said. “The winning teams moving on to the next round are Team Smiles, Team Noble, Team Turbo, and Team Obelisk.”

The Yu-Salad and their respective teammates celebrated the new of them winning the first round of the tournament, including Lulu. “I can’t believe it!” she happily exclaimed. “We made it to the second round!”

“I know,” Yuto happily agreed. “First the tournament, then medical school!”

“Medical school?” Shay repeated.

Yuto hasn’t told the Obsidians yet, but he has finally figured out his future a couple days ago. After seeing Lulu and Shay suffer from the severe injuries they got during the Invasion, he wanted to make sure he’ll help tend to people with any terrible lacerations. His plan was to attend medical school after he graduated from Heartland Duel School to get a medical degree and open up his own health clinic.

“Why are you bringing up medical school?” Lulu asked. “What’s going on?”

Yuto realized he hasn’t told her his plans for the future and had an “Oh, crap” look on his face, complete with a sweat drop creeping down from his forehead to his cheek. “Well… I…” he stammered.

“The next round will begin tomorrow,” Declan said, making Yuto breathe a sigh of relief. “For now, I want the winning teams to rest up. Also, will Team Turbo stay behind for a few minutes? I wish to speak to them in private.”

Yugo, Rin, Crow, and Shinji followed Declan backstage to discuss about what happened earlier. Meanwhile, the remaining eleven teams and the audience departure towards the doors while friends and families met up to congratulate on the other three winning teams and telling the other eight how proud they are for taking part in this tournament. Teams Smiles, Noble, and Obelisk were all excited about winning for different reasons: Yuya and Zuzu aim to become Dueltainers, Yuto wishes to start his own hospital, Lulu dreams of being a movie actress, Shay is preparing himself to run ObsidianCorp, and Yuri wants to teach Wicked Dueltainment to those interested in it, but he also mainly wants to continue seeking redemption for his actions during the Interdimensional War. Regardless of who will win, this will certainly mark the start of a bright future for the winning team.


	21. The Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the four teams selected for the tournament finals, the counterparts try their best to relax. However, the reveal of a pesky little bug worries the Energy Girls, making them wonder if it will control them once more...

“Yugo, would you care to explain what happened during the second set of duels?” Declan asked.

As everyone else headed home, Team Turbo stayed behind in regards to what the Speedroid user did in the first round. Rin, Crow, and Shinji were worried about their friend, who was feeling guilty and ashamed of himself for what he did.

“It’s not my fault!” Yugo blurted out. “It’s Yuya! That guy ruined the Friendship Cup by winning! If it wasn’t for him, the High Council wouldn’t have disbanded!”

“Why would you say that?” Declan asked.

“Because they realized Yuya was such a ‘perfect Duelist’ that they decided to cancel all future Friendship Cups!” Yugo guessed.

“That’s what you think happened?” Declan asked. “Didn’t Crow or Shinji tell you about Jean-Michel Roget?”

Yugo has never heard of this Roget person in his life, so Crow and Shinji filled him in on what he missed. Jean-Michel Roget was a defected deep cover agent from Duel Academy who became the director of New Domino City’s Sector Security not long after arriving in the Synchro Dimension. His assigned goal was to make the city vulnerable for an invasion from the Fusion Dimension, but he betrayed them to fulfill his plan of recreating New Domino into his kingdom with an iron fist, but thanks to the Lancers, it backfired, leading to the Topsiders and Commoners to unite and revolt. During his plan, he had Zuzu captured to watch it unfold, but soon used her as a bargaining chip for betraying Duel Academy and kept her in tow throughout his attempts to escape. He even activated a machine to send New Domino into a void in between dimensions; consequently, he got sucked into one of the wormholes and his current whereabouts remain unknown.

“Wait… So the High Council disbanding wasn’t because of Yuya?” Yugo asked.

“It wasn’t,” Crow answered. “Turns out the High Council disbanding was mostly out of fear for any future betrayals.”

Yugo face-palmed as hard as he could because of how guilty he felt for accusing Yuya of not being able to take part in any more Friendship Cups. A threat that he had no idea about until now resulted in a blind and furious accusation because he may not be able to become a professional Turbo Duelist like he and Rin dreamt about.

“I would also like to apologize for what you went through during the Interdimensional War,” Declan said. “If our paths had crossed, we could have helped prevent you from getting absorbed by Yuri.”

He explained to Yugo how he and Riley reunited with Yusho and were struggling to prevent Leo from fusing the four dimensions. Yuya having difficulty with not giving into Zarc’s darkness was a factor to him not meeting the Synchro Duelist in person because Yusho wouldn’t have gotten carded and they would have had a chance of reducing the chances of Zarc returning.

“Well I was suffering too!” Yugo explained as he took out his deck and started searching through his Speedroids. “I was struggling to prevent that darkness from taking over- Wait, where’d they go?”

“Where did what go?” Rin asked.

“Skull Marbles and Maliciousmagnet!” Yugo explained. “Those two cards are proof that the darkness was starting to control me!”

Rin skimmed through Yugo’s deck as well and was shocked to see those two monsters weren’t there. Declan questioned what those two monsters were and learned they appeared during the banana-banged teen’s last duel with Yuri and gradually consumed his dueling style for the past several weeks up until this point. Could this be a sign that their disappearance from the revelation of the High Council’s disbandment resulted in the darkness starting to fade away?

“This is quite a discovery,” Declan said. “While the darkness from Zarc’s heart had vanished, there appears to be traces of it inside you and your counterparts.”

Traces of Zarc’s darkness? How is that possible? In Yugo’s case, it was understandable. But even after their absorption and separation, they were still lingering in Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri, with the three not noticing? This might be bad news for all four of them; just when they thought Zarc was dealt with for good, his dark remnants still existed. Was this a warning that Zarc’s darker self was resurfacing?

“But…didn’t you say Zarc was at peace now?” Yugo asked.

“That is what my father said,” Declan answered. “But perhaps this is only a minor side effect from the absorption. Zarc might be gone for good, but you and your counterparts could possibly have random bursts of rage.”

Maybe Yugo should inform his counterparts about this later on today. If he experienced this burst of rage during the first round, who knows when this side affect might affect the others. “Thanks for telling me,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” Declan replied. He looked over at Rin. “By the way, Shay told me what had happened during Lulu’s surgery. You might want to clean out your ears.”

Rin was confused on what he meant by that. She doesn’t recall anything being in her ears; she has seen her reflection in the mirrors multiple times and they were completely empty. Her bafflement quickly turned into alarm as she realized what he was talking about: the Fusion Parasite in her brain. It has been inside her head all this time and she hasn’t noticed until now; she feared if Zuzu and Celina still had their Fusion Parasites in their heads too, which was definitely a certainty.

The green-haired girl took out her deck, looking at her two Crystal Bells. “Is… Is that why…?”

Yugo looked over at Rin and placed his hands on hers. “Don’t you dare say that,” he said. “The Fusion Parasite has nothing to do with how you’re currently using Crystal Bell. As long as the bug is absent in your deck, you’ll be fine.” He touched foreheads with her. “I refuse to let you get brainwashed again.”

Rin smiled back at her boyfriend knowing he’ll do anything to make sure the Fusion Parasite won’t control her anymore. “Thanks Yugo,” she said, smiling softly.

Yugo grinned. “There’s that adorable smile!” he said.

Rin giggled a bit and gave Yugo a brief yet loving kiss. The two thanked Declan for the talk before heading towards the doors to meet up with the other teams. They, Crow, and Shinji saw Cathy congratulating Lulu for her victory, Yugi meeting Yoko and Yusho—who were both proud of their son for winning the preliminaries—and talking with Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri about how the three teens saw Kaiba not too long ago, and Akiza waiting for Rin to felicitate on Team Turbo’s win.

“Since when did you learn how to Fusion Summon?” Akiza asked Rin.

“You saw everything?” Rin asked.

“Of course I did,” Akiza answered. “I think you’re the first official Turbo Duelist to combine Synchro with Fusion.”

Rin had a lot to explain about her integrating Fusion Summoning in her deck, and she knows it was connected to her absence Akiza mentioned on the evening of the Heartland Park Festival. “Well… It’s because…”

“Because of how that card works well with RinRin’s dueling style,” Yugo interrupted, putting his arm around his girlfriend and pulling her close. “She quickly learned that incorporating Fusion into her pure Synchro style would help her get easy wins.” He chuckled as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I usually don’t win against her, but when I saw her use Fusion for the first time, I had a feeling she became unstoppable.”

Well, Yugo wasn’t entirely wrong; Rin’s main concern was about having to tell Akiza about her abduction and brainwashing that led to her Fusion incorporation. She was kind of glad that he already took care of it. Meanwhile, Cathy had just finished praising her childhood friend on her team’s advancement in the tournament.

“That was absolutely incredible!” Cathy had exclaimed, hugging Lulu tightly. “You actually incorporated acting into your dueling!”

“Aw, thanks Cathy,” Lulu said, smiling wide.

“Don’t be so modest,” Cathy said as she separated from the hug. “If your team wins the tournament, this could mark the start of your acting career.”

“Not exactly,” Lulu admitted. “Mother and father have already planned to have me enrolled into acting school.” Her thoughts went back to what Yuto blurted out earlier. “Although…”

Cathy noticed Lulu’s expression. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“It’s Yuto,” Lulu said. “He said something about medical school.”

“Medical school?” Cathy repeated. “Why would he mention that?”

“I think that’s what he decided to do,” Lulu realized. “Become a doctor.”

She explained that he was most likely going to attend medical school after they graduate from Heartland Duel School. She didn’t care about the long distance, but her main concern was the two not being able to maintain a relationship if he does go somewhere far away; she was worried she may never see Yuto again.

“Yuto is going to take a completely different path,” Lulu explained. “With him being a doctor and me becoming an actress, there’s a high chance we won’t see each other again.”

But Cathy wouldn’t let her friend mope. She grabbed Lulu by the shoulders and looked at her straight in the eyes. “Don’t you dare say that,” she said, speaking in a firm tone. “Yuto Osaku is a commoner, but there’s no way you’ll ever find a guy who’s as kind and cute as he is.”

“But-” Lulu started to say.

“But nothing,” Cathy insisted. “You love him, don’t you?”

“With all my heart,” Lulu answered.

“Then you’ll figure something out,” Cathy said. “You’re Lulu Obsidian, the most stubborn person I know. Even I know you wouldn’t let something like that interfere with your desires.”

Cathy was right about her friend being stubborn, but Lulu was unsure of what she can do. She has seen the movies and knows long-distance relationships rarely work. But she still smiled. “Thanks Cathy.”

“There’s that smile!” Cathy said, smiling wide as well. “Now do your best tomorrow!”

Not far from where the two girls were, Team Lancer was discussing on how they couldn’t believe they didn’t make it to the top like Celina said. Speaking of her, she started to feel something in her head, almost like it was clogged.

“Is something wrong?” Sylvio asked, sounding concerned.

“I’m not sure,” Celina admitted. “I feel…something inside me.”

“Want me to take a look?” Aura asked, taking out her crystal apple.

“If you want to,” Celina answered.

Aura used her crystal apple to view what was in Celina’s head and saw some kind of bug in between her brain and one of her ears. The indigo-haired girl immediately recognized it as the Fusion Parasite that was implanted in her after Barrett captured her. She became concerned.

“Is something wrong?” Aura asked.

“That thing is still inside my head?!” Celina asked out loud, placing her hand over her ear.

“It’s a Fusion Parasite, isn’t it?” Sylvio asked.

“It is,” Celina answered. “But I tore up the card that was in my deck. Why is it still in my head?!”

“It doesn’t appear to be active,” Aura pointed out, looking at the image in her crystal apple. “If you’re right about the bug giving you trouble, it shouldn’t be a concern anymore.”

Zuzu ran over to Team Lancer because she overheard Sylvio mention something about a Fusion Parasite being stuck in Celina’s head. “What do you mean, there’s a Fusion Parasite inside your head?!” the pink-haired girl asked.

Aura held up her crystal apple. “It’s inactive, but it’s still inside her head,” she told Zuzu. “And I sense that you also have the same problem.”

Zuzu was stunned to hear this and even a bit worried. Although the cards that controlled the parasites were ripped up, she feared if they will find an alternative to brainwash her and her counterparts. “I better see if there’s some way to remove it,” she said, gently touching her ear.

Aura wasn’t much of a doctor as she used her apple to figure out if they stumble upon someone who knows how to remove the parasites. While that was going on, Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri were pondering on how they and Yugo were able to see Kaiba and not everyone else. Yugi admitted that he had a feeling Declan’s past incarnation was the one taking over to give out his apology.

“I recognized the way he spoke,” Yugi said. “That was definitely Kaiba speaking.”

“So how come my counterparts and I could see him?” Yuri asked.

“I’m not sure,” Yugi admitted. “But it might be because Zarc once saw him.”

The three Yu-teens realized that he may be right. Maybe they and Yugo seeing Kaiba instead of Declan was Zarc’s way of witnessing the public apology. It might have confused the audience like Aichi said, but at least they all knew what was going on.

“Aichi…” Yuya said.

“What about him?” Yuto asked.

“Declan said he’s the CEO of the Vanguard Association,” Yuya recalled. “But he looks a little young.”

“I heard the previous CEO died,” Yugi explained. “So with no one else to turn to, Aichi volunteered as the new CEO.”

Yuya was nonplussed on what he heard. That explained why Aichi looked rather young to run a corporation. “Poor guy,” the tomato-haired teen said. “He must have a lot to deal with. And with that Link Joker virus…”

Yuto put a reassuring hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “He said he was able to purify it,” he pointed out. “He clearly far more skilled than he appears.”

Later that evening, at the Obsidians’ house, Yuto and the entire family were still getting themselves adjusted to the new changes to Lulu’s schedule. It’s the same, but she now needs help with walking because she has difficulty standing, especially when she and her boyfriend are getting ready for bed.

“Careful,” Yuto instructed, his hand on Lulu’s waist as he guided her towards the bathtub. “I don’t want you to slip.”

“I’m fine,” Lulu said. “You don’t have to help.” She blushed slightly. “It’s kind of embarrassing…”

“It’s alright,” Yuto said. “You still look beautiful.”

It wasn’t that; sure, she’s beautiful, but she needs to get into the tub to get undressed, and getting undressed requires privacy. At least it was a good thing she wears dresses all the time because wearing skirts or pants would have taken more time and work in her case.

“Are you sure you don’t need help getting undressed?” Yuto asked. “I promise to look away.”

“We’re only fourteen,” Lulu pointed out. “We have plenty of time to see each other naked when we’re older.”

She does have a fair point; the age of consent in Japan is 16 years old, so they were still considered minors. Yuto helped her get into the bathtub and, respecting her wishes, left her private bathroom to give her some privacy. While that was going on, he figured he would take some time to talk to Shay. He checked his bedroom, the halls, the living room, and all the other rooms in the house before finally finding him in the family dueling room. From the looks of things, he was battling against a simulation to practice for tomorrow.

“Your new card doesn’t scare me!” Shay exclaimed. “Go Satellite Cannon Falcon! Attack that mutated wolf!”

Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon soared to the air to prepare for its attack. With Team Obelisk heading to the semifinals, this simulation was based on his previous duel with Sora, so he was trying to locate a weak spot. So far, he’s gathered that Frightfur Wolf can attack multiple times based on how many Fusion materials used to summon it are in the Graveyard and quickly got an idea after checking his monster’s effects. By removing an Overlay Unit, he can target and make the opposing monster lose 800 ATK for every Raidraptor in the Graveyard.

“INCORRECT MOVE,” the robotic simulation of Sora stated. “ACTIVATING THE TRAP CARD ALBUM OF MEMORIES TO NEGATE THE ATTACK.”

Album of Memories is a Continuous Trap card that can negate one attack for every Fluffal monster in the Graveyard. The more Fluffals sent to the Graveyard, the more attacks Simulation Sora can cancel out; in other words, Shay was rendered powerless and can’t attack.

“What?!” Shay asked. “Computer, why is that card in the deck?! I told you to program every card Sora has into the simulation!”

“PRECISELY, MASTER SHAY,” the simulation informed. “I COLLECTED DATA FROM ALL OF THE FINALISTS THAT TOOK PART IN THE TOURNAMENT. SORA PERSE USED THAT CARD IN HIS DUEL AGAINST AURA SENTIA.”

Was this how Sora defeated Aura earlier? Did he dupe her into believing he was on the brink of losing just to use that Fusion monster and Trap card? Regardless, Shay knew he was going to have a challenging time against the light blue-haired Fusion Duelist knowing that there was a reason why Frightfur Wolf improved his deck.

The simulation projected an image of the Sora vs. Aura duel from earlier today. “HE STARTED OFF THE DUEL BY FUSION SUMMONING FRIGHTFUR WOLF USING FIVE FLUFFALS,” it explained. “NEAR THE END, HE COMBINED ALBUM OF MEMORIES AND FRIGHTFUR CHIMERA TO DEFEAT HER.”

So Sora did found a way to get stronger, Shay thought to himself as he viewed the image. “Computer, calculate any possible weak points in that combo,” he ordered.

“VERY WELL,” the simulation replied. “BY THE WAY, MASTER YUTO HAS ENTERED THE ROOM.”

Shay turned around to see his friend standing not too far away from the dueling room door. “Yuto?” the older heir asked. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s about what I said,” Yuto explained as he approached his friend.

“You want to become a doctor?” Shay asked.

“Not exactly,” Yuto exactly. “I want to use the skills I learned in ObsidianCorp to open my own health clinic.”

Shay understood why Yuto wanted to pursue that career as he looked down at his prosthetic leg and thought about how the spinal plates affected his sister. “So you want to attend medical school for education purposes.”

Yuto nodded in response. “I refuse to let anyone else suffer from any injuries,” he said, placing his hand above his heart. “I feel that path is the right one for me.”

“Because your heart is what makes you unique,” Shay added.

Yuto knew his heart not only makes him unique, but it also defines him. Thanks to his mom, the Phantom Knights, the Obsidians, and especially Lulu, he has become his own person. One that is chivalrous, brave, loyal, noble, and knightly. One that could be simplified as gentlemanly in the most genuine way. However, his heart could also be his biggest weakness.

“You haven’t told Lulu about your plans,” Shay realized.

Yuto clutched his chest. “Ishizu showed me a vision weeks ago,” he said, his voice cracking with slight sorrow. “She said Lulu and I…would ultimately get married. But my dreams of owning a health clinic…”

It was boiled down to destiny vs. choice as of now. Yuto knows he will marry Lulu, but going to medical school could alter this destined path. If he has to go away, they may never see each other again; the overwhelming thought was becoming too much for him to handle.

At that moment, Lillybot entered the dueling room. “MASTER YUTO, MISTRESS LULU WANTED ME TO TELL YOU THAT SHE IS DONE WITH HER BATH,” she informed. “IT IS YOUR TURN TO FRESHEN UP FOR THE EVENING.”

“Thank you, Lillybot,” Yuto said, still looking a bit sad.

“Don’t worry about Lulu,” Shay said. “I know she’ll support you, much like how you have been supporting her.”

Yuto hoped so too, but he was also concerned about telling her his future plans. He thanked Shay for the talk before heading back upstairs to take his shower.

“Lillybot, is Lulu alright?” Yuto asked.

“I AM NOT QUITE SURE,” Lillybot answered. “THERE WAS A FOREIGN EMOTION IN HER VOICE, BUT SHE DID NOT SOUND HAPPY.” The former nursemaid bot looked at Yuto, her eyes glowing red. “DID YOU DO SOMETHING TO UPSET HER?”

Her tone and glowing red eyes startled Yuto because he did accidentally slip out his desire of going to medical school, but he didn’t mean to upset her. He definitely picked a bad day to trigger Lillybot’s mama bear instincts.

“I didn’t!” Yuto explained. “All I did was-”

“Lillybot, stop spooking him.”

Yuto turned his head to see Lulu approaching him and Lillybot from her bedroom door. She had finished getting changed into her pajamas and was letting her hair dry.

Yuto couldn’t help but look at his girlfriend’s pajamas. Instead of her usual short-sleeved, light yellow nightgown, she was wearing silk light blue lingerie that reached her knees. He simply blushed and headed for Lulu’s private bathroom, not saying a word to her.

“What’s wrong with him?” Lulu asked Lillybot, whose eyes stopped glowing.

“I AM NOT SURE,” Lillybot admitted.

Yuto walked into the bathroom and shut the door to take his shower. He put his glasses on the bathroom counter and took off the clothes he wore for today and put them into a nearby hamper before stepping into the tub and closing the shower curtain. After turning on the nozzle and setting it at a warm temperature, water poured down onto his body and soaked his spiky, eggplant-shaped hair.

As the XYZ teen applied some Thick and Spiky shampoo to his hair, he thought about Lulu. He knew he was destined to marry her, but what about his dreams of owning a health clinic? Would he even have time to also have a happy marriage with a movie actress? He pondered this as he washed his hair, scrubbing out any possible sweat.

He then grabbed a bar of soap to lather it all over his body to get it sudsy, but he still couldn’t stop thinking about what his true future really is. Greek tragedies like Oedipus have conveyed the message on how it is impossible to avoid a predetermined fate, but he remembered seeing Kaiba’s duel against Ishizu when he was witnessing the different visions of the alternate timeline, which showed that people do have the capability of changing their paths to avoid aligning with the expectations of fulfilling a future event. At this point, Yuto wasn’t sure if he should follow what was destined to happen or if he should get his medical degree.

As he continued thinking, he rinsed off the soap suds from his hair and body once he was done using the soap and turned the shower off. He grabbed his towel that was hung resting on top of the hamper to wrap it around his body. He stepped out of the tub and onto the bathmat as water dripped from his locks, limbs, and torso. Using the towel he had, he rubbed all the water off of him before putting it back on his body and walking towards the sink. He took out a hairdryer from the cabinet and plugged it into a nearby electrical socket on the wall to blow dry his hair.

As Yuto made sure his hair was dry and nicely-brushed, he thought about the facts he knew. Does he love Lulu Obsidian? Of course. Would he want to marry her? Absolutely. Was he upset about what happened to her and Shay during the Invasion? Deeply. And what about future generations? Shouldn’t he do something to make sure they don’t end up scarred as well? Obviously.

Inside the cabinet next to the sink were a pile of folded towels, mats, and facecloths, along with Yuto’s pajamas. He buttoned up his long-sleeved, dark blue shirt and slipped on his dark gray pants. He exited the bathroom with Lulu already returning to her bedroom thanks to some assistance from her former nursemaid.

“Oh, hi Yuto,” Lulu said, sounding a bit innocent as she had already been laying across her bed. “What do you think of my new pajamas? Mother bought them for me as a reward for making it to the tournament finals.”

Yuto blushed at seeing Lulu in her new lingerie Astra got for her daughter. He complimented her that it looked really nice on her. However, he looked away. He really didn’t want to talk to Lulu right now.

“What’s the matter?” Lulu asked, causing him to look back at her. “You don’t like what you see?”

Lulu knows when her boyfriend is upset and she does whatever she can to cheer him up. This time, she decided to flirt with him a little as she sat up and struggled to get off her bed. He spotted her having trouble to stand, so he helped her get on her legs; as rapidly as it happened, she proceeded to unbutton his pajama shirt and caress his dual-colored hair. But Yuto wouldn’t give in.

“I’m serious,” Yuto insisted. But he couldn’t help but moan due to Lulu’s fingers in his hair. “I…” He bit his lower lip. “…really need some alone time- MMPH!”

His sentence was never finished as he was caught completely off guard by the sudden yet passionate kiss from Lulu. Before he knew it, she was able to pull him over to the bed while she kept her lips locked onto his. Her legs may not work, but her arms were still functional and this was a good opportunity to continue using them. Just as they were about to engage in a make out session, Yuto felt a slap on his butt, surprising him in the process.

Yuto pushed back for air. “What was that?” he asked, surprised.

“Awww, can’t a girl think her boyfriend has such a cute butt?” Lulu pouted.

A startled Yuto has never seen her act like this before. What has gotten into her and why was she doing this? “Lulu, I-”

But the Lyrilusc user quickly shushed him. “Less talking, more snuggling,” she said, running a hand through his hair. “We have four years left together. We should spend as much time doing this kind of stuff.”

What she said pretty much answered Yuto’s questions. She understood what was going on with him since he inadvertently blurted out his future plans during the revealed results from the preliminaries. They were both concerned with not seeing each other again, but Lulu’s solution was the most feasible one to date.

“Cathy’s right,” Lulu said after a few loving kisses. “You’re kind and cute. There’s no way I’ll find another guy as perfect as you.”

Yuto did remember hearing Cathy say that on the night of the Kastles’ party; his gentlemanly and dorky personality landed him with the most beautiful and strong-willed girl from the entire XYZ Dimension. He also flashbacked to the time when they were getting to know each other and she compared him to a miracle child that was mentioned in one of her mother’s songs, which eventually became their song. Then a sudden thought came into his head.

“The song said those angels sprinkled moon dust into the miracle child’s hair,” Yuto recalled. “Is that why you like mine so much?”

“Probably,” Lulu answered, ruffling Yuto’s spiky hair. “It feels so soft.”

Amid his flustered face, Yuto became more convinced that this song perfectly suited the couple. He knew she adored him from his personality to his gravity-defying hairstyle. With that in his head, he always loved how long and Rapunzel-like her hair is; the dark purple locks spread out on the bed, the few stray strands sticking out, and the tips of her lilac side tails lying on top of her chest. He was tempted to stroke it, but she may not be comfortable with it due to her issues of others touching her hair.

“You have nice hair too,” Yuto added. “Can I…?”

“Please don’t,” Lulu bluntly said. “I spent years learning how to properly maintain long hair. I don’t want anyone else touching it.”

“Alright,” Yuto said. He ended up touching her cheek instead. “But that doesn’t make you any less beautiful.”

There he goes again with saying that word: beautiful. The single word that started their relationship and it never fails to make Lulu warm and fuzzy inside because she knows he was much better suited for her than Reginald. Yuto doesn’t care that she came from an elite background; he loves her looks and personality traits the most and that’s what mattered to them.

“Can you…say that word again?” Lulu asked.

Yuto was surprised by the request. “What word?” he asked. “Beautiful?”

Lulu nodded after hearing the word again as a blissful feeling filled up her entire body. “I love hearing that word come from your mouth,” she said.

Yuto let out a small, happy sound. “You actually like being called beautiful?” he asked, aware that usually other girls would ultimately get tired of that word.

“Of course,” Lulu answered. “That word is proof that you’re different from other guys who approach me. They all wanted me because of my wealth, so you loving me because of my beauty is quite refreshing.”

Yuto smiled back at her and moved himself onto the bed to hug her from behind, spooning her in the process. He conceived the fact that he shouldn’t worry about not seeing her anymore after graduation. With only four years left of school, they should make the best of it and memorable for each other.

The eggplant-haired teen moved his head so his lips were near her ear. “You are so beautiful to me,” he quietly sang. “You are so beautiful to me…”

His whispers flowed through Lulu’s ears, serenading her with his song, which she loved whenever he does that. “Yuto…” she muttered, her voice in a love-struck haze.

“Can’t you see, you’re everything I hope for,” Yuto continued singing. “You’re everything I need. You are so beautiful to me.”

Lulu’s mouth curved upwards as he continued singing, feeling blessed that the two have fallen in love with each other. Elsewhere, in Team Turbo’s garage, the boys were trying to find methods to remove the Fusion Parasite from Rin’s head. One idea Crow was doing was using a pair of tweezers to get it out of her ear.

Rin winced in pain. “Hold still, Rin!” Crow said.

“I would, but you just pinched my ear!” Rin exclaimed.

The tweezers dug deep into her ear—much to her discomfort—until it touched something; Crow instantly knew what it was as he gently pulled them out to reveal the Fusion Parasite firmly grasped onto the pincers. His face shined with satisfaction after successfully removing the inactive insect.

“You feeling alright?” Yugo asked Rin as Crow threw out the Fusion Parasite.

Rin took out her deck, looking at her two Crystal Bells. She smiled. “I am now,” she said.

“You still want to keep those cards?” Shinji asked.

“Of course,” Rin answered. “I see beauty in Crystal Bell, beauty that I want the world to see.”

There was no way a dead Fusion Parasite was influencing Rin for using her newfound strategy. She genuinely sees potential in her Fusion monster and is fond of how well it works with her other Windwitches.

Crow let out an amused chuckle. “I always thought you were a tomboy,” he told Rin. “But now that I think about it, you’re more like that girl who wears shoes made of glass.”

Rin knew exactly what he was talking about when she heard “shoes made of glass”. She may be motherly, headstrong, and slightly tsundereish, but underneath that persona was someone with a knack for shopping, fashion, and stuff that girls generally like. Deep down, she truly was a Cinderella. Well…except for a few key differences.

“I don’t think I’m like Cinderella,” Rin said. “I’m not a servant girl.”

However, Yugo had an idea. “Actually… Can you hold that thought?” he asked. “I have to go get something.”

Yugo headed upstairs towards his room to find what he was looking for. It was a handmade dress so Rin could wear it for the Friendship Cup, but because she was kidnapped by Yuri, that never happened. He spent most of the War looking for her that he almost forgot about the dress until now. He stumbled upon a hidden spot in his room and recalled him hiding it in there; after some searching, he found it and it was still in good condition. It was knee-length with blue from the waist down and on the sides, as well as a white line near the hem with a blue bow on the back of the waist. The inner layer was light mint green with a darker green floral pattern.

Yugo returned to the group and showed the dress to Rin, who was amazed. “Where did you get this?” she asked.

“I made it myself,” Yugo explained. “It was for you to wear when we won the Friendship Cup, but since Roget indirectly caused all future Friendship Cups to get canceled, I figured I should give it to you now.”

“It’s beautiful,” Rin said. “Thank you.”

Yugo held Rin’s hand, intertwining their fingers together. “Just promise me something,” he said. “We’re gonna win the tournament tomorrow, and when that happens, I want you to wear this dress afterwards. It might not be the Friendship Cup, but we’re bound to get a special reward, so I want you to look nice.”

Rin stared into Yugo’s eyes as she started to see the similarities she had with Cinderella. She may not be a servant girl, but they grew up poor without their parents and find ways to let their true beauty shine through. They even fell in love with handsome princes, even though Yugo was anything but princely.

“Okay Yugo,” Rin said. “I promise.”

At the Sentia residence, Aura was also removing the Fusion Parasite from Celina’s head, but in a different manner from Crow’s while mirroring her attempt to help Yuya regain consciousness. Her bedroom was decorated with various occult-like items and measures as if she was performing a ritual.

“Begone wicked insect!” Aura exclaimed, holding a bunch of incense sticks in her hand. “Remove yourself from Celina’s mind and release her from your control!”

Celina would tell her teammate that the parasite needed its card for it to control her, but she let her do this healing performance since it is the only method of healing the young girl knows. Shortly thereafter, she was recommended to wear a green and white dress or nightgown; however, she doesn’t do dresses.

“Why should I wear that?” Celina asked.

“Duh!” Aura said. “Green is the color of life and growth, while white radiates healing purity.” She tossed a dress over to Celina. “So you better put this on right away.”

She looked at the dress she was given; it was knee-length with shoulder-length sleeves, green all over with two big, white stripes on the skirt, and had a green bow tied around the waist. It was at least casual enough to wear.

“Fine,” Celina said. “I’ll put this on.”

Celina left the bedroom to get changed into the dress; while it was true that she wore one when she was a child, she eventually grew out of it and switched over to skirts as she got older. With that in mind, a part of her deep down felt like it was going to be weird wearing a dress for the first time in years.

Some time later, Celina returned to Aura’s room wearing the green and white dress, only to be greeted by the redhead’s squeals. “You look so pretty!” she exclaimed.

“Don’t get too excited,” Celina said. “It’s just for tonight.”

“Awww… But imagine how Yuri would react if he saw you in this!” Aura happily cried out.

Celina slightly blushed as she heard Aura say that. Is she still holding onto the prediction of her and Yuri falling for each other or is she already aware? “Why would you bring him up?”

“Because I saw this,” Aura answered as she picked up a rose. “Did he give this to you during your date?”

Celina recognized that rose anywhere: it was the Solid Vision rose Yuri materialized and gave to her. How the heck did Aura even find it?

“He did,” Celina answered. “He created it out of thin air and…” She started muttering.

“And what?” Aura asked.

“He…put it in my hair,” Celina repeated, blushing heavily.

“That’s so adorable!” Aura squealed. “I heard boys do that to girls as an indicator that they love them!”

Honestly, Yuri’s indicator that he loves Celina was their time at Heartland Park underneath the full moon, where she demonstrated what her marking can do other than be used as a Skill in duels. Since she was new to the whole romance ordeal, she never knew about these indicators and which ones were signs of having a crush on someone. But regardless of her confused feelings, she could still recall their first kiss. His fingers grazing her spine, her fingers tugging on his hair, when he nipped on her lower lip…

“He’s an amazing kisser,” Celina bluntly said, speaking in a love-struck tone.

That gave Aura an idea. “You should wear this to the tournament finals!” she suggested, gesturing to the green and white dress. “And maybe this as well!” She gave the Solid Vision rose back to Celina.

The indigo-haired girl never thought about wearing the dress tomorrow, but the rose was somewhat a small possibility. As previously mentioned, she outgrew donning them, and when it comes to dresses, they were up in her counterparts’ alleys. “I don’t know…” she admitted, slightly lifting up the skirt. “I’m not exactly a dress person…”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” Aura said. Then her eyes widened. “Besides, that dress might be magic.”

“Magic?” Celina asked. “Why-”

Before she could ask, something was slowing crawling and slipping out of her ear. It revealed itself to be the Fusion Parasite that the girls were focused on getting rid of.

“How odd,” Aura said. “I thought that insect was inactive.”

“What?!” Celina exclaimed. She grabbed a tissue and used it to squish the insect dead and throw it into a nearby garbage can.

Aura was a bit surprised. “That seemed a bit extreme,” she commented.

“If that thing was somehow still functioning, it could have took over my mind again!” Celina pointed out.

“Well I hope the other girls are having an easier time getting rid of them,” Aura said.

Meanwhile, with Zuzu, she was at the Sakaki residence, getting her parasite removed with some help from Yusho. Since Fusion Parasites were created out of advanced Solid Vision, Yusho thought hacking into the program would get rid of it

“Are you alright?” Yuya asked, squeezing Zuzu’s hand.

“I guess,” Zuzu answered as Yusho typed away on the computer. She winced in pain. “It hurts a bit.”

The computer screen displayed a black screen with a long arrangement of codes that were programmed into the parasite. The sounds of the keys clicking developed a variety of attempts that Yusho was testing out in order to perform a successful hack. There was one program listed on it that basically stated how the Fusion Parasite’s card is what was needed to activate and control it; however, the hacking process altered some of its codes, allowing it to gradually wake up and increasing the risk of it brainwashing Zuzu again.

Zuzu let out a pained moan. “Is it-” She winced again. “I-I-I Fusion Summon P-Parasite Q-” She cringed.

“Hang in there, Zuzu!” Yuya exclaimed, his free hand touching her marking on her right cheek. “Fight back!”

Zuzu was trying her hardest to fight back, but the Fusion Parasite kept retaliating by strengthening its influence bit by bit, manipulating her into toxic Fusion Summoning more and more. The harder it got for her to break free from its control, the more frustrated Yuya got with helping his childhood friend out. There was no way she was going to follow Leo’s old tactics again. Unaware of what was happening to him, as his frustration and rage grew, tiny traces of darkness from within him detected an off yet familiar feeling, causing the two’s minds to merge together. It then sent a portion of itself to travel from Yuya to Zuzu’s brain and destroy the insect.

POP!

Zuzu’s eyes shot open as smoke came from her ear. “What just happened?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” Yusho answered. “But the parasite appears to have exploded.”

“But how?” Zuzu asked. “How did-”

Yuya’s eyes widened in surprise, noticing Zuzu’s marking was glowing underneath his hand. “Zuzu…” he said. “I think we merged our minds together for a brief moment.”

Zuzu’s eyes moved to where her marking was and saw a faint pink glow coming through Yuya’s hand. “My marking…” she said. “What if that caused the mind merge?”

“I’m not sure,” Yuya admitted. “But I sensed Zarc’s darkness. It must have destroyed the Fusion Parasite.”

The two quickly realized that what Zarc’s leftover darkness and Zuzu’s marking did must be a secondary ability of the mind merge. Yuya reached up to touch the En Flowers marking again. Sure enough, it glowed, causing them to feel as if they could hear each other’s thoughts.

“Zuzu…” Yuya said. “I think this a new ability.”

Zuzu was overcome by hearing Yuya’s thoughts. She pressed her forehead against his and started caressing his hair with both hands. She sensed his love, his desires, and even his heartache. She embraced this new feeling, closing her eyes in the process.

Yuya also gave in to this moment, placing his other hand on her waist as he also closed his eyes. With his hand on her marking, he could hear every single one of her thoughts. Could they have discovered a new level of intimacy?

"Are you two alright?” Yusho asked.

Snapping out of the trance, Yuya and Zuzu quickly let go as her marking stopped glowing. “Yeah,” Yuya answered, blushing heavily. “We’re fine.”

Once the two managed to relax after their intimate moment, they both decided to start preparing for tomorrow’s semifinals. Zuzu was glad to know she and her counterparts don’t have to deal with the Fusion Parasites anymore, but she also wondered how the other girls’ markings react to their connections with Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri.

“Do you think the other markings have similar secondary abilities?” Zuzu asked.

“Probably,” Yuya answered. “Besides, it’s not like it’ll have any negative results in the tournament finals.”


	22. Knight and Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Team Duel Tournament finals are about to begin! First up is Team Smiles vs. Team Noble, which means Yuya and Yuto get to duel each other. And with his new Odd-Eyes cards, Yuya plans on making this duel an unforgettable performance.

As a girl who grew up in an elite environment, Lulu has access to everything she needs to look absolutely perfect. Shampoo to keep her hair silky soft, face cleanser to avoid possible acne, lotion for making sure her skin is smooth… She even has the finest ear picks in the city so her ears always remain clean.

Yuto, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Born in a middle class environment, he didn’t mind if his face was slightly dirty or if his hair was out of place. Even when he started living with the Obsidians, he wasn’t completely obsessed with his looks.

The next morning, at the Obsidian house, the couple were getting ready for the second round of the Team Duel Tournament. Needless to say, there was a strong difference in their morning routines. While Lulu was carefully brushing her hair before she could style it, Yuto was having a hard time cleaning his ears. After hearing yet another frustrated sound, she put her brush on her vanity and wheeled over to her private bathroom.

“Are you having a hard time?” Lulu asked.

“Sort of,” Yuto answered, holding up an ear pick. “I don’t really clean my ears a lot.”

“Come here,” Lulu said, patting her lap. “I’ll help you get your ears clean.”

Yuto walked over to where Lulu was and handed her the ear pick before kneeling down and placing the right side of his head on her lap. With her right hand holding the pick, she began helping him clean his ears. She used the ladle of the ear pick to scrape out ear wax, using her other hand to stroke his hair. Yuto let out a content sigh, closing his eyes as he let his girlfriend continue the intimate gesture.

When Lulu finished using the down puff to remove any extra ear wax, she gently patted Yuto’s head, indicating him to switch sides. He shifted his head so the left side was on her lap. Lulu then tucked Yuto’s stray bang behind his ear before repeating the process. He sighed again, adoring her gentle touch.

Suddenly, Lulu hit a sweet spot, causing Yuto to moan. “Lulu…” he muttered.

She suddenly remembered about his sensitive area near his right ear, where his small, faint, and somewhat noticeable scar was, hiding underneath the locks of light purple hair. Smirking, she finished cleaning out ear wax with the ladle before switching to the down puff. But this time, she removed extra ear wax very suggestively, using her other hand to gently touch his outer ear.

Yuto moaned from his girlfriend’s gentle touches, his hand gripping the skirt of her pale yellow sundress. He adored this pleasurable feeling, wishing this moment could last forev-

“What are you two doing?”

The two looked up to see Shay standing in front of the bathroom door. They didn’t hear him come in, but hearing his voice made things somewhat…embarrassing.

Yuto lifted up his head. “This isn’t what it looks like!” he exclaimed, blushing heavily.

“I get that you two are bound to get these kind of moments, but we have a tournament to get to,” Shay reminded the lovebirds.

“Right,” Yuto said, leaving the private bathroom to get dressed. “Sorry about that.”

After shutting the bathroom door when Lulu wheeled out to follow him, Yuto headed towards the bed where his clothes laid nicely across. He couldn’t believe he was going to be wearing his pre-Invasion attire again; he wore it when he first met Lulu. Speaking of her, she was tying her hair into her signature bow-shaped style and secured it with her feather-shaped barrette before putting on her sunhat and white flats. To them, they were almost getting a blast from the past.

Yuto smiled softly. “Isn’t that the sunhat you wore during the Heartland Spring Festival?” he asked as he finished getting dressed.

“Of course it is,” Lulu answered. “It was the first time we hung out outside of school.”

“And look how far we came,” Yuto said, putting on his glasses. He gave Lulu a loving kiss. “Not even a horrible crisis can separate us.”

“Of course, sweet knight,” Lulu said. “Our love is unbreakable.”

“You can flirt on the way over to the Center Duel Field,” Shay pointed out. “We have a tournament to get to.”

The trio headed out of the bedroom and went downstairs, with Kameron and Astra meeting up with them before making their way to the car and driving to LID. With this being the second day of the tournament, all the people who attended yesterday—including some of the Cardfighters—were returning to their seats while some of the losing teams joined the audience and took their own. As for the winning teams, they were brought to the Center Duel Field with their families and friends: Team Smiles with Yusho, Yoko, Skip, Mr. Strong, Allie, Tate, Frederick, Aura, and the Lancers, Team Noble with Kameron, Astra, Cathy, Alex, and Kite, Team Turbo with Akiza and a few other Turbo Duelists, and Team Obelisk with Leo and the former Obelisk Force members.

All around the stadium, many people were cheering for the four teams, especially for Team Smiles, who have become the fan favorite team…much to Yugo’s chagrin. Despite realizing that Jean-Michel Roget was responsible for the High Council’s disbandment, he still wasn’t pleased with how everyone was preferring Yuya over him. They both endured contradicting sufferings, but he still believed the people loved the Performapal user more than him.

Rin quickly noticed Yugo getting tensed. “Calm down,” she said, rubbing her boyfriend’s shoulders. “Your Speedroids are just as entertaining as Yuya’s Performapals.”

“I hope so,” Yugo said, still not relaxing.

With the four teams gathered, Declan and Aichi began the opening ceremony. “Welcome to the Team Duel Tournament finals,” Declan said. “While yesterday’s matches showed promising Duelists, only four teams were able to move on to the finals. Today the four teams will take part in a standard elimination round. The four teams will split into two groups with the teams dueling each other. Once the final two teams are determined, they will battle it out with the winning team being crowned the winners of the first-ever Team Duel Tournament.”

“The teams facing off were selected based on their performances from yesterday,” Aichi said. “We have the fan favorites of Team Smiles, the unbeatable Team Noble, the Turbo Duelists of Team Turbo, and the Wicked Dueltainers of Team Obelisk.”

The audience applauded for the announced and outstanding finalists, especially for Yuya. Yugo stared at him from a not too far distance and wondered if everyone loved him because of his natural charm. He then started considering about changing his current hairstyle into a more attractive style.

“You alright, pal?” Crow asked Yugo.

The banana-banged Duelist ran a hand threw his hair. “I think I might need a comb-”

His response was cut short by the startled gasps of everyone in the Center Duel Field. He turned around to see what the big deal was, only to find Yuto strangling someone out of sheer anger. From the looks of things, the eggplant-haired teen must have recognized the former Obelisk Force student, as well as Sora, who was rushing from his team to where the incident was coming from. Sure enough, he also spotted his face and immediately knew who it was: the same person who killed Lono Osaku… Chazz Princeton.

“Well well, if it isn’t the goth loner,” Chazz said.

Yuto tightened his grip. “You’re going to pay for killing my mom!” he snarled.

Chazz scoffed at the threat. “Like I was trying to kill her,” he said. “I found out about the Professor’s ultimate goals: save Ray Akaba and prevent Zarc Nightstone’s resurrection. I thought killing one of Zarc’s fragments might get me promoted. That woman was only an interference.”

Yuto couldn’t believe what he was hearing coming out of this psycho’s mouth. If he was killed by the Chaos Ancient Gear Giant, he and his counterparts wouldn’t have received new chances to find themselves and learn their Skills given to them by Zarc. He wouldn’t have been able to get a job at ObsidianCorp and determine his future. He wouldn’t have gotten his first kiss from Lulu. The words made him furious because he knows Zarc felt bad for what he has done yet Chazz doesn’t seem to care in the slightest. Meanwhile, with Sora, he was just about to help calm Yuto down when he heard footsteps coming from Leo, who had overheard the explanation behind Lono’s unfortunate murder.

“Mr. Princeton, how did you find out about all of this?” Leo asked.

“I overheard you talking about your plans to some crazy bug-eyed man,” Chazz answered.

Leo knew exactly who he was referring to as his eyes shifted towards a certain someone in the audience: The Doktor, who was unsealed from his card once Yuya was revived and the dimensions split back into four. Yesterday, during the preliminaries, he was initially concerned when he was watching Team Turbo’s duels and saw Rin Fusion Summoning Crystal Bell; he eventually relaxed and was pleased with how she integrated the Fusion monster into her deck and brought out the card’s true beauty. Today, he heard what Chazz was talking about in regards to the Invasion and Revival Zero and how those plans inadvertently gave him an idea for a promotion. The poor guy can’t seem to catch a break throughout the tournament’s duration.

“Yuto, please unhand Mr. Princeton,” Leo said. “I’ll have to speak to him about not straying from direct orders.”

Yuto let go of Chazz. “This isn’t over,” the eggplant-haired teen said, sounding calm yet miffed.

With the interruption taken card of, Declan proceeded to announce the pairings. “As I was saying,” he said. “The first round is Team Smiles vs. Team Noble, followed by Team Turbo vs. Team Obelisk.”

Well, isn’t that peachy? Yugo gets to have a rematch against Yuri and no doubt he’s going to show the Predaplant user just how strong he, his Speedroids, and his Clear Wings really are. As for Yuya, he was surprised to see him going up against his own cousin.

“How about that?” Yuri asked his teammates. “I get to duel XYZ again.”

“Don’t you mean ‘moron’?” Dennis asked.

“Of course, my friend,” Yuri answered. “But Rin is proof that the word doesn’t seem to affect him. Luckily I found a new nickname that would have better results.”

He remembered the conversation he had with Yugo, Yuya, and Shay back at Heartland Park. He was aware of this Yuma person that Yuto replaced in this timeline. Apparently Yuma was the opposite of Yuto: rude, loud, and quick-tempered. In other words, he was more like Yugo. Yuri noticed how that comparison irked the banana-banged Duelist more than being called a moron, so he decided to take full advantage of that.

“The first round is about to begin,” Declan announced. “So will Team Smiles and Team Noble please step up?”

The two teams walked towards the center of the arena to get ready for their matches against each other. Unlike yesterday, Shay knew Gong would be able to withstand his Raidraptors, so he would take part in the round. Lulu happily greeted Zuzu, while Yuya felt content with dueling his cousin. With the dividers and Action Fields set up, the three simultaneous duels begin.

“Alright Yuto, let’s get this duel started!” Yuya happily exclaimed.

Yuto’s furrowed his eyebrows out of perplexity on what was up with Yuya. Was this his Dueltaining style? Even if their souls were merged and he got some glimpses of Dueltainment during the Arc League Championship, it still confused him on how it is done. However, his cousin clearing his throat snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Come on…” Yuya half-whispered. “Aren’t you gonna say something?”

“What am I supposed to say?” Yuto asked. He wasn’t a Dueltainer like Yuya; heck, he hasn’t learned what Dueltaining is throughout most of his life back at Heartland.

“Anything!” Yuya half-whispered again.

“Okay…” Yuto said. He straightened his posture. “This shall be a show worthy of a good performance!” Deep down, he knew that was a bad attempt at saying an introductory Dueltaining sentence.

Yuya was too embarrassed and surprised to even respond. “Let’s just duel!” he said as he activated his Duel Disk.

Yuto activated his Duel Disk as well to initiate their first Action Duel with each other, following a shout of “Let’s duel!” from the two.

The eggplant-haired teen went first. “I’ll start things off with a couple of face downs,” he said. “Your turn.”

Yuya instantly caught on to the two face-downs; they were Yuto’s signature starting move. He may have to plan out his turn carefully, and after scanning the Action Field for where the Action Cards may be located, he figured out his strategy. “My turn!” he announced as he drew a card. “And I’ll activate the Ritual Spell Odd-Eyes Advent!”

“What’s this?!” Nico exclaimed. “Yuya is Ritual Summoning?!”

“You bet!” Yuya answered. “And I’ll use Performapal Splashmammoth and Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn for the Ritual! Descend from the depths of space and emerge in all your galactic glory! I Ritual Summon Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon!”

Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon is a Level 7 EARTH Dragon-Type monster with 2800 ATK and 2500 DEF. He had grayish-navy blue scales with dark orange skin, heterochromia eyes (red on the right, light blue on the left), and light gold borders all over his body, surrounding purple stones on his tail, arms, legs, and feet, keeping hold of a light blue orb on the center of his chest, and supporting the powder blue stones that help him levitate and fly. When this card is special summoned, all Spells and Traps the opponent controls are sent back to the hand and can’t activate cards or effects in response…unless they want to pay 500 LP if they want to use card effects. Gravity Dragon’s effect can only be used once per turn.

Aura was in awe. “An Odd-Eyes Ritual dragon!” she exclaimed. “How wonderful!”

“I activate Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon’s special ability!” Yuya declared. “All of your face down cards are automatically returned to your hand, so don’t even think about using them on me this turn!”

The two face-downs dematerialized from the field and reappeared back into Yuto’s hand, much to his frustration. “When did you get that card?” he asked.

“When I got my other three new Odd-Eyes dragons,” Yuya answered. “Now I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!”

With a roar from Gravity Dragon, he and Yuya merged their minds together, as seen by the teen’s body falling limp onto the floor and the dragon gaining his owner’s personality and mannerisms.

“And there it is, folks!” Nico exclaimed. “Yuya has pulled off another mind merge! What an amazing Skill he has!”

Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon roared happily as the crowd chanted Yuya’s name. Meanwhile, Team Turbo was watching the simultaneous duels from the sidelines, including Yugo, who still couldn’t get over how everyone was rooting for Yuya. Why did everyone like him anyway? Was it his hair? His face? His personality? Or even his dueling style?

Shinji noticed Yugo’s frustrated expression. “You feeling alright?” he asked.

“No,” Yugo admitted. “Those cheers should be for me! Yuya shouldn’t hog the spotlight!”

“You said something about needing a comb, right?” Shinji asked.

“Yeah,” Yugo answered.

Shinji gave Yugo a comb. “Here,” he said. “You can borrow one of mine.”

Yugo thanked him before taking off in search for a mirror or some sort of reflective surface. As he ran through the halls, he stopped in front of two bathrooms and headed insides the one designated for males; sure enough, there was a mirror hung up on the wall above some sinks, so he took the time to figure what hairstyle he should go with.

After a bit of pondering, Yugo started to comb out his bangs. As he did so, the blonde locks started to become less banana-shaped. Ultimately his bangs ended up looking more whispy with the shorter locks hanging in front of his eyes. He grinned as he winked and pointed at his reflection, a clicking sound coming from his mouth.

“Lookin’ good,” Yugo said aloud, happy with the results. “This should help attract some attention.”

Meanwhile, back in the arena, Yuto was XYZ Summoning The Phantom Knights of Break Sword. “Rise, my mighty beast!” he exclaimed.

Break Sword galloped onto the field as the headless knight attached to the armored horse brought out his giant sword and wielded it on his right hand. Outside of the arena, a lot of female Duelists cheered for Yuto after successfully performing an XYZ Summon. Although he didn’t care about his looks, he does make himself look nice enough up to the point where he looks handsome. Even if Yuya had more fans than his cousin, it was clear the eggplant-haired teen’s natural charm can cause the ladies to swoon; it was practically the Kastles’ party all over again.

Yuya noticed Yuto smirking as he adjusted his glasses, looking a bit surprised. “Looks like those fans are feeding his ego…” he mused.

“Since I used Ragged Gloves as an Overlay Unit, I’ll use 500 life points to give Break Sword an additional 1000 attack points,” Yuto said. “Now Phantom Knights of Break Sword, slay Yuya’s dragon!”

With an ATK of 3000, Break Sword sped up towards Gravity Dragon as the headless knight readied his sword to unleash his attack. However, the tomato-haired teen was prepared.

“I activate the Action Spell Miracle!” Yuya exclaimed. “So Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon is here to stay!”

Break Sword slashed his sword through the dragon, not fazing it in the process; however, the normal 200 points of damage was halved as Yuya lost only 100 LP. Yuto then had no choice but to end his turn.

“And with that, Lulu Obsidian has secured Team Noble’s first win for the round!” Nico announced.

Her duel against Zuzu ended somewhat early due to how powerful her Lyrilusc monsters were, especially her Assembled Nightingale. Even Zuzu was amazed. “Wow,” she said. “I didn’t think you were that good.”

“Well I was the one who taught Shay how to duel,” Lulu replied.

Zuzu was confused by that choice of wording. “Don’t you mean he taught you how to duel?” she asked.

“Nope,” Lulu answered. “I taught him.”

When the Obsidian siblings were growing up, Shay never got a chance to duel because he was busy preparing himself for when he becomes the new head of ObsidianCorp. Once he was given permission to play Duel Monsters, Lulu let him borrow some of her old cards so she could teach him how to play.

Zuzu was surprised to hear that. “Oh…” she said, recalling how powerful Shay’s Raidraptors are. “That’s…pretty unexpected to hear.”

As the two Energy Girls waited in the arena for their teammates to finish their duels, Yuya and Yuto continued on with stunning progress. They were neck-and-neck with each other, always finding counters and strategies to ensure them a victory. At that point, Yuya was able to set the Pendulum Scale with Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon and Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon to Pendulum Summon Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon. He then overlayed Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon and Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon to XYZ Summon Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon. He was a Rank 7 WATER Dragon-Type XYZ monster with 2800 ATK and 2500 DEF. it had red and blue heterochromia eyes, dark purple skin, and light gray and light blue armor all over his entire body, encasing a dark blue orb on his chest. By using an overlay unit, Yuya can special summon an Odd-Eyes monster from the Graveyard if any of his or the opponent’s monsters declares an attack. If this monster was sent to the Graveyard, an Odd-Eyes monster is special summoned from the Extra Deck except Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon. Each effect can be used once per turn.

“So that your replacement for Dark Rebellion,” Yuto commented. He smirked. “Not bad, but Break Sword is still stronger.”

“Not for long,” Yuya said. “I activate the Spell card Spiral Flame Strike to wipe out your Break Sword!”

Using the first effect of Spiral Flame Strike, Absolute Dragon blasted out a magenta beam with black streaks spiraling around it to destroy Break Sword. However, Yuto was then allowed to bring Ragged Gloves and Silent Boots back on the field in defense mode, now at Level 4.

“Nice try,” Yuto said. “But I still have the materials I need to-”

“Oh, I know,” Yuya replied. “Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon, attack The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves! Double Slash Strike!”

Absolute Dragon used its signature move to attack and destroy Ragged Gloves; since it was in defense position, no damage was dealt. But oddly enough, Yuto wasn’t annoyed. He was actually smiling.

“I can’t believe it,” Yuto said. “You actually fell for it.”

Fell for what? Was this a trap that Yuto set up this whole time? That statement confused Yuya because he knows what his strategies are. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“You’ll see,” Yuto answered. With Yuya’s turn over, he drew a card and smiled even more. “By banishing The Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves from my Graveyard, I can transfer Phantom Knights’ Wing from my deck to my Graveyard. And by banishing that card, I’ll bring back The Phantom Knights of Break Sword.”

Before Yuya knew it, Break Sword was special summoned back onto the field, lacking any Overlay Units. “But that’s not all,” Yuto said. “I activate the very card I drew during this turn: The Phantom Knights’ Rank-Up-Magic Launch!”

He targeted Break Sword and used it to rebuild the Overlay Network; since its ability prohibits Yuto from special summoning non-DARK monsters for the rest of his turn, he managed to work his way around it.

“Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons!” Yuto chanted. “Go, Rank-Up XYZ Evolution! Come forth and strike, Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!”

Yuto’s ace monster appeared onto his side of the field, with his tail whipping out, his wings bolting open, and his long chin reflecting the luminescence of the lightning before bellowing out his iconic roar. But Yuya wasn’t worried. He knew Yuto has a hard time using his Skill.

“Now, Dark Rebellion, use your special ability and absorb half of Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon’s strength!” Yuto commanded.

Dark Rebellion extended his wings and shot out purple lightning to encase Absolute Dragon in it while halving his ATK and adding it to his own, increasing it from 2500 to 3900 until the end of this turn. But the eggplant-haired teen wasn’t done.

“I activate my Skill!” Yuto exclaimed, running over to Dark Rebellion. “Mind Merge!”

Throughout the past few weeks of training and practicing, he has learned a new way to manage his Skill. Once he got on top of Dark Rebellion, his eyes started to glow periwinkle—much like when he Awakened—as their minds started to merge and they acted as a single entity.

Yuya was flabbergasted. “You can do that?!” he asked. He always thought Yuto continues struggling to manage with his Skill, so seeing this was quite the surprise for him. But he didn’t want to miss out on the fun, so he proceeded to activate his Skill. Seeing that he wanted this duel to be a Dueltainment show, there was no way he’s missing this opportunity since his own cousin was involved.

“I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!” Yuya cheerfully declared. He and Absolute Dragon synchronized and unified their minds into one until he saw that he has become one with his monster, as seen by his unconscious body on the floor of the arena. The sapphire-scaled dragon let out a cheerful roar, indicating to the audience that the fun has begun.

“Now hold on a minute!” Melissa exclaimed. “Since when can Duelists use their Skills on their opponent’s turn?!”

“I’m not sure,” Nico admitted. “But it seems Yuya has other ideas in mind.” He looked at their bios. “He and Yuto recently found out their mothers were sisters prior to the dimensions separating, so Yuya wishes to perform alongside his cousin.”

“Well that’s mighty nice,” Melissa commented.

As Nico and Melissa commentated on the first round, Yuya started his performance through the body of Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon; he knew it was still Yuto’s turn, so he decided to encourage him—who was still fused with Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon—to join in as well.

However, Yuto was deeply confused. Why was his cousin running around the arena? A confused sound appeared from Dark Rebellion, but Absolute Dragon happily roared again. It sounded like the two were communicating through their dragons. Absolute Dragon continued to cheerfully growl and roar at Dark Rebellion, wanting to convince him to join in on the performance. The latter was still confused on how Dueltaining even works; even if Yuto saw glimpses of it when his soul was fused with Yuya’s, he still didn’t quite understand it.

Lulu laughed in amusement as she watched the duel. “Come on, Yuto!” she called out. “Don’t you want to have fun with your cousin?”

Despite the arena being split into three, Dark Rebellion started to softly purr, mostly because Yuto had a feeling Lulu liked the thought of him spending time with Yuya more. The last time they spent some bonding time together was a few days before the Paradise Prep school dance. Letting out a playful roar, the XYZ dragon proceeded to fly into the sky, ready for the performance.

As Dark Rebellion soared through the air, Absolute Dragon shot crystals out from his body as the XYZ dragon produced electricity from his wings. A display of crystals and electricity sparkled all around the dragons, astonishing the audience. “Incredible!” Nico exclaimed as Dark Rebellion did a midair backflip. “I’ve never seen such a performance!”

Everyone cheered enthusiastically at the stunning and marvelous presentation the two dragons were creating. Yuto was amazed by the reactions. Is this what Dueltainment is all about? Was it really all about keeping the world entertained and smiling? That’s what Lulu believes in, and needless to say, Dark Rebellion looked pretty satisfied.

The two dragons continued their performance, shooting out electricity and crystals through the air. Electric bolts then came into contact with the colored gems, which caused them to explode and transform into fireworks. But while Absolute Dragon couldn’t fly, Dark Rebellion soared in the sky, the fireworks causing his scales to shine. Yuto enjoyed seeing everyone cheer for him and his cousins. Maybe this Dueltainment thing isn’t so bad after all-

“And the winner is Gong Strong!”

The two dragons quickly finished up their last round of fireworks shortly after hearing that Gong won. Through Absolute Dragon’s gleeful roars, Yuya was happy to know Team Smiles was tied with Team Noble. With Dark Rebellion back on the ground, the two cousins ended their mind merges.

“So what did you think?” Yuya asked.

Yuto got off of Dark Rebellion, a soft smile on his face. “That was amazing,” he answered.

“Aw, you can do better than that!” Yuya said, wanting his cousin to smile wide.

“Trust me, this is my biggest smile,” Yuto clarified. He’s usually a soft-spoken and quiet person, so in a way, he wasn’t as energetic and outgoing like Yuya.

“Alright!” Yuya cheerfully said. “Now let’s finish this duel!”

“Of course,” Yuto agreed. “Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon, attack Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon! Mauling Mandible Charge!”

Dark Rebellion charged his wings with purple lightning as the purple orbs on them began to illuminate. He then flew over to Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon to pierce him with his long, sword-like chin. However, Yuya was prepared.

“I activate the Trap card Cross Damage!” Yuya announced. “Now you lose the same amount of life points I’m about to lose!”

As Dark Rebellion’s chin stabbed through Absolute Dragon, the destroyed monster exploded, engulfing part of the arena in dark gray smoke that barely covered the two, who both lost 1100 LP each.

“Not bad,” Yuto said as he ended his turn with a face down. “But Dark Rebellion still has an Overlay Unit.”

“I know,” Yuya replied as he drew a card. “But this duel is over. This is the final turn!”

Outside of the duel, the Cardfighters who were sitting immediately recognized that phrase Yuya said. They all know “final turn” meant a Cardfighter thinks they’ll win based on the card they drew; does that mean he’s going to claim a victory for his team?

“Since Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon was Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon’s Overlay Unit, I get to Pendulum Summon him back onto the field!” Yuya exclaimed. “So return to the spotlight, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!”

The Pendulum “portal” opened up and Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon ricochet back onto Yuya’s side of the field. “But I’m not done!” the tomato-haired teen continued. “I activate the Field Spell Sky Iris to protect Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!”

Sky Iris was…well, a Field Spell card that prohibits the opponent from using card effects to target Magicians, Performapals, or Odd-Eyes in the Pendulum Zones. Yuya can also select and destroy a face-up card he controls in order to add one Odd-Eyes card from his deck to his hand, but this effect can only be done once per turn.

“I’m also setting this monster face down on the field before I end my turn,” Yuya said, knowing Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon is weaker than Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon.

Suspicion crept up Yuto as his turn was about to begin. Yuya never played a monster in face-down defense position before. What is he planning? Regardless of the plan, Yuto drew a card, deciding it would be safer to attack Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon.

“Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon, attack Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!” Yuto exclaimed. “Mauling Mandible Charge!”

As Dark Rebellion charged for the attack, Yuya smirked. “I activate the Action Spell Trick Distraction!” he declared. “Now Dark Rebellion is forced to attack my face down monster!”

Yuto was flabbergasted. “When did you get that?” he asked.

“During our little fireworks show, I secretly used Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon’s body to bring the Action Spell over to my actual body,” Yuya answered.

The face-down card appeared on the field and flipped itself up to reveal itself to be Purple Poison Magician, who was pierced through Dark Rebellion’s sword-chin. Purple Poison Magician was a Level 4 Scale 1 DARK Spellcaster-Type monster with 1200 ATK and 2100 DEF. His Pendulum effect gives a battling DARK Spellcaster-Type monster that Yuya controls an additional 1200 ATK during the Battle Phase before sending this card to the Graveyard. His monster effect, which treats him as a Fusion Dragon card, enables his owner to select and destroy a monster on the field after he is destroyed through battle or card effects. Yuya knew exactly which effect he is going to choose.

“Since Purple Poison Magician was sent to the Graveyard, he’s taking Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon with him!” Yuya declared. “Vine Whip Ensnarement!”

Purple Poison Magician brought out some vines from the ground and commanded them by whipping them at Dark Rebellion, wrapping him around them, and pulling him down into the Graveyard with the former. Yuri watched on and was proud with this strategy he witnessed because that’s something he normally does.

“Not bad, Yuya,” Yuri commented. “It seems my best features have rubbed off on you.”

Yuto clenched his fists. “I see,” he told Yuya. “You have become a lot stronger.” He set a card face down.

“Yep!” Yuya happily answered as he drew a card. “Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon, finish this off with Phantom Spiral Flame!”

“Then it’s a good thing I have this,” Yuto said. “I activate The Phantom Knights of Wrong Magnetring to negate your dragon’s attack!”

For quite some time, the two equally-matched Duelists kept going back and forth with each other in an seemingly endless chain of summoning, activating, destroying, and banishing monsters, Spells, and Traps, losing and regaining Life Points, and mind merging with their monsters. Three archetypes against one. It was almost like a special summoning galore… Almost… Eventually, the duel ended up getting a bit boring because of how long it’s been going and no victor has been decided; fortunately, this stalemate revived some lost tension as they stood looking exhausted with 100 LP each.

Declan let out a frustrated sigh. “New rule,” he spoke into the microphone. “If a duel goes on for too long, whoever has the most life points after four turns is the winner.”

This was a problem; the two neither had more nor less Life Points than each other. How are they going to declare the winner if they are tied? Worse, the two were already exhausted and their strongest cards were in the Graveyard.

“Yikes,” Yuya said. “How are we supposed to-” His eyes widened upon seeing his cousin. “Yuto?”

Suddenly, much to everyone’s shock, Yuto collapsed out of exhaustion. Because the Invasion made him slightly buffer than his counterparts, he had been recently working out at the Obsidian family gym, resulting in him getting exhausted easily; he also rarely took part in Action Duels, and seeing this one was his longest one yet, it wore him out immensely.

“Yuto!” Yuya exclaimed. He ran over to his cousin and kneeled next to him, holding the back of his head. “Speak to me!”

Yuto weakly opened his eyes and smiled. “I see her,” he quietly said. “I see my mom.” He took out Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon. “I leave Dark Rebellion in your care, Yuya.”

“What?!” Yuya asked.

“Take care of him,” Yuto said. “And remember to use your power…to keep the world entertained…and smiling.”

Yuya panicked a bit. “But Zarc’s no longer a problem!” he pointed out. “You can’t-”

Just then, the sound of an amused laugh came out from Yuto; as it turned out, he was joking this whole time. Yuya looked offended, but he couldn’t help but smile as well. “You sneak!” he exclaimed.

Yuto got back up, still laughing softly. “Gotcha,” he said.

Yuya stood up. “Okay, you got me,” he said. He playfully punched his cousin on the shoulder. “But that was a pretty good show we performed.”

“It was,” Yuto agreed. He held both of Yuya’s hands. “Love you, cuz.”

Yuya smiled even more. “Love you too, Yoot,” he said.

All around the Center Duel Field, a collective sound of “Aww” was heard from the audience, who were touched by the cousins’ fluffy moment. The two may have formed a bond during the Interdimensional War, but the revelations of their moms being sisters helped bring them closer.

“I hate to interrupt this moment, but I must declare a winner,” Nico said. “So because Yuto Osaku was the first one to pass out, the winner of the final duel goes to Yuya Sakaki! Team Smiles is moving on to the final round!”

As the audience cheered and applauded after hearing the results, Yuya, Zuzu, and Gong’s faces showed how genuinely content they were with advancing onto the tournament. The members of Team Noble, on the other hand, were all proud at how far their companions have gotten through, including themselves.

“Yuya, we did it!” Zuzu exclaimed. As Yuto released his grip on the tomato-haired teen, she ran over to him and hugged him tightly.

As Gong walked over to his teammates, Shay and Lulu approached Yuto. “It’s alright,” the heiress said. “We tried our best.”

“Speak for yourself,” Shay said. “I spent last night practicing for dealing with Fusion monsters and I happened to get stuck dueling the only non-Fusion Duelist on Team Smiles.”

It was true; he was in the family dueling room last practicing his skills against simulations of Fusion Duelists because he was hoping he would go up against Team Obelisk, most particularly his rival Sora. Because of the arrangement of duels for the semifinals, he got stuck with Gong, his Superheavy Samurais, and his Synchro Summoning technique. The powerful effects and high DEF of his all-monster deck did a number on Shay, helping Team Smiles in moving on with a 2-to-1 score.

“Alright Team Turbo and Team Obelisk,” Aichi announced. “It’s your turn to duel. Good luck to both of you.”

With the dividers already lowered back into the floor, Teams Smiles and Noble exited the arena to watch from the sidelines during the second round. Team Obelisk got up and walked away from where they were sitting to make their way towards the arena’s center. At the same time, Team Turbo—albeit their stand-in Shinji—grabbed their Duel Runners from behind them and followed Yuri, Dennis, and Sora to begin the next set of simultaneous duels.


	23. A Duelist's Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Round 2 of the Team Duel Tournament is about to begin! With Yugo seeking a rematch against Yuri, how will he do against his Fusion counterpart's improved deck?

The start of the second round was quickly approaching as Teams Obelisk and Turbo walked towards the Center Duel Field’s arena. Since Yugo, Rin, and Crow brought their Duel Runners with them like yesterday, that would mean Yuri, Dennis, and Sora may have to take part in three simultaneous Action Duels or Turbo Duels. At that point, it currently didn’t matter what type of duel they’ll be engaging in because the two dimensional counterparts are more focused on their encounter and their potential rematch, depending on what the monitor says who’s dueling who, of course.

So when the pairings included Yugo vs. Yuri, the Turbo Duelist got on his Duel Runner, put on his helmet, and sped over to Yuri. “You’re gonna pay for what you did!” he exclaimed.

“Now now, don’t act so rash,” Yuri said as Yugo braked his Duel Runner. “You already had your Rin-union.”

“It’s not that!” Yugo clarified. “Tell me what you did to my memories!”

“I would if I could,” Yuri explained. “But after Yuya poofed Astrograph Sorcerer into existence, I, too, experienced a strange case of amnesia.”

He wasn’t exactly wrong. Ever since Zarc was revived, the Yu-Salad completely blacked out…except for Yuya, who managed to temporarily regain control to help Riley and Ray win the duel and put a stop to the continuing onslaught. Because of that, he was the only reincarnation who was able to recover prior to Leo’s separation procedure.

Yugo wasn’t sure how to respond, but the Fusion Duelist cleared his throat. “Aren’t you going to say something?” he whispered.

“Huh?” Yugo asked.

Yuri let out a frustrated sound. “That’s the whole point of Wicked Dueltainment,” he whispered. “My teammates and I play the role of villains to entertain the crowd. It was Dennis’ idea and so far it’s working.”

Dennis did got the idea of Wicked Dueltainment when he was dueling against Yuya back in Heartland City. He, Sora, and Yuri clearly have no ill will towards Yusho; their evil behavior is all part of the act. Luckily Yugo quickly caught on.

“You liar!” the blonde-banged Duelist exclaimed. “And I’ll never forgive you for kidnapping and brainwashing RinRin!”

Yuri let out a sinister laugh. “You are certainly persistent,” he said. “But once this duel is over, your beloved dragon and soul will be mine once more!”

The duo knew Zarc accepted himself being split back into his reincarnations once again, so there was no way their souls were getting absorbed, regardless of who wins or loses. The two then headed towards their section of the arena where they will be dueling.

Dennis smirked as he saw Rin. “Why hello there,” he said, approaching the Windwitch user. “How funny for us to meet up once more.” He proceeded to kiss the back of her hand, but she pulled back in disgust.

“I have a boyfriend,” Rin pointed out.

“Oh, hush now,” Dennis said. He caressed her cheek. “A beautiful lady such as yourself deserves someone far more civilized.” He knew Rin and Yugo were dating; him flirting with her was all part of the act.

Unfortunately, Rin didn’t understand that. “Beautiful…?” she asked, swatting Dennis’ hand away from her face.

“But that’s what you are,” Dennis said. “Absolutely beautiful.”

But Rin got on her Duel Runner. “Let’s just duel already!” she said, wanting to get this over with.

She was more used to Yugo calling her cute nicknames, so hearing Dennis treat her the same way kind of annoyed her. After putting on her helmet, she drove to her section of the arena with her opponent following her. With two matches already figured out on who’s dueling who, that would mean Crow was going up against Sora.

Sora whimpered. “Pwease don’t hurt me,” he told Crow, looking at him with a sad look in his eyes.

“Nice try,” Crow said. “I remember what your dueling style is really like.”

With that, Sora dropped the act, a sinister grin appearing on his face. “I see,” he said, taking out a lollipop. “Then crushing you will be all the sweeter.” He bit into the lollipop, the hard candy making a loud CRUNCH.

Well, that isn’t scary, Crow thought to himself with a somewhat surprised look as he got on his Duel Runner and put on his helmet. He then revved his engine and drove to the last empty section of the arena as Sora pursued him. All six members readied and activated their Duel Disks, three of which were programmed into the Duel Runners, and shouted, “Let’s duel!” Blackwing vs. the child psycho. Windwitch vs. the polite mastermind. Speedroid vs. the deranged psychopath, a long-awaited rematch that Yugo has been looking forward to. Team Turbo sped their way to the different tracks to begin their duels against Team Obelisk.

“Dearest me,” Yuri remarked. “I suppose I’ll have to keep up. So I’ll start things off with Polymerization. Arise, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon! Your master is in need of transportation!”

A Fusion Summoned Starving Venom appeared on the field with a malicious growl to help stay in character as part of the Wicked Dueltainment. Yuri then stepped onto the palm of his ace’s hand and proceeded to follow Yugo with his dragon carrying him. Dennis and Sora did something similar by summoning Shaddoll Hound and Frightfur Bear and using them to give them a lift in their Turbo Duels.

“I need your assistance, Shaddoll Hound!” Dennis commanded.

“Come to me, Frightfur Bear!” Sora exclaimed.

“My goodness!” Melissa remarked. “Looks like Team Obelisk has decided to use their monsters to keep up with Team Turbo! That’s some pretty cleva thinkin’.”

As the three former Obelisk Force soldiers rode their monsters, they managed to catch up with Team Turbo. Unlike most of the duels that took place throughout the Team Duel Tournament, the simultaneous Turbo Duels weren’t divided into three smaller arenas; instead, they took place in one Action Field with the three sections as each of the member’s starting points.

“My turn!” Yugo exclaimed as he drew a card. “And I’ll start things off by setting the Pendulum Scale with Speedroids Passinglider and Dominobutterfly!”

Yugo placed his Scale 3 Passinglider on the left Pendulum Zone and his Scale 8 Dominobutterfly on the right, allowing him to summon monsters between Levels 4 and 7. “Time to show this rich snob the true power of Speedroids!” he exclaimed. “I’m bringing out Speedroids Double Yoyo, Horse Stilts, Razorang, and Rubberband Plane!”

The four Pendulum Summoned monsters flew out of the “portal” and onto the field. Double Yoyo, Horse Stilts, and Razorang are all Level 4 while Rubberband Plane is a Level 5; whatever Yugo is planning, this Pendulum Summon was only the beginning.

“But I’m not done!” Yugo continued. “I summon Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice, which I’ll tune with Speedroid Rubberband Plane to call forth a mystical cross-sword with the power to cut every enemy down to size! I Synchro Summon Hi-Speedroid Kendama!”

Hi-Speedroid Kendama is Level 6 WIND Machine-Type Synchro monster with 2200 ATK and 1600 DEF. If it’s in defense position, Yugo can inflict piercing damage to his opponent. It also has two other effects, which can be used once per turn: a Machine-Type monster can be banished from the Graveyard so that 500 damage can be inflicted to the opponent or it can be special summoned from the Graveyard if no cards are in control, but normal summoning/setting is prohibited on the turn this effect is activated.

Yuri was confused but also amused on why Yugo would choose Hi-Speedroid Kendama. It has less ATK than Starving Venom, who has 2800 ATK. He let out an amused laugh. “Seriously?” he asked. “All this hype for a sword?”

“Oh, I’m not done,” Yugo said. “Since I have over two wind-attribute monsters on my field, I can special summon Windwitch - Snow Bell!”

“What?!” Yuri asked. “How could you have that in your deck?!”

Yugo chuckled. “Kinda a funny story,” he answered. “RinRin originally had four Snow Bells, but she gave her extra one to me.” He held up the card, which had a pink heart drawn on it. “I save it for special occasions like this tournament.”

Yugo placed Snow Bell on his Duel Disk to special summon it. She flew out of the materializing light from her card and onto the field; what makes her stand out is she has the same pink heart on her. Not too far away, Rin saw the copy of her Tuner monster that she gave to Yugo as she dueled Dennis. She let out a loving sigh, not letting this distraction interfere with her duel.

“Now I’m gonna tune this extra-special Snow Bell with Speedroids Razorang and Double Yoyo!” Yugo continued. “Come on out, Giganticastle!”

Giganticastle is a Level 9 EARTH Rock-Type Synchro monster with 2900 ATK and 2800 DEF. Its effect allows it to gain 200 ATK and DEF for every non-Tuner Synchro Material used to Synchro Summon it. Since Razorang and Double Yoyo are non-Tuners, Giganticastle gains 400 ATK and DEF, making it 3300 ATK and 3200 DEF.

“Alright Giganticastle, punch out that overgrown weed-dragon!” Yugo exclaimed.

As the humungous Synchro monster clenched its left fist and prepared to throw a punch to deal 500 damage, the sound of Yuri’s whip cracked. Starving Venom was being commanded to help him find an Action Card as fast as he could. “Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, I wish for you to seek out an Action Card!” the Predaplant user exclaimed.

The dragon growled obediently and scanned the Action Field for an Action Card, preferably a Spell. Ultimately he found an Action Card, so he flew over to it, allowing Yuri to grab it with his whip. “Thank you, my treasured pet,” he said. “Now I activate the Action Spell Evasion to protect you from harm!”

Evasion’s effect negated Giganticastle’s attack as it lowered its fist and unclenched it. Starving Venom purred in satisfaction because this is one of the many examples of his undying loyalty to Yuri. He is willing to assist him in any situation and vice versa.

Yugo wasn’t happy with the results. “I’ll get rid of that dragon somehow!” he exclaimed, ending his turn with a face down.

“Don’t get your hopes up this early,” Yuri said. “I draw!” He checked his hand, ready to-

“Pummeling Paw!”

Yuri’s turn got interrupted by Sora, who was just about to attack Crow. Unfortunately, the attack nearly startled Starving Venom because of how in close proximity the two duels were. “Sora, control that mutated teddy bear!” the purple-haired teen exclaimed. “You nearly startled my dearest pet!”

“Sorry about that!” Sora replied.

Sora and Frightfur Bear took off to continue their Battle Phase. What the heck was that all about? Hopefully, this time, nothing will interrupt Yuri, who has already concocted a strategy for his Main Phase.

“I activate the Equip Spell Mark of the Rose!” Yuri declared. “By banishing Predaplant Flytrap from my Graveyard, your Giganticastle becomes my obedient servant! Now come to me, Giganticastle!”

A black rose mark appeared on Giganticastle’s forehead and was quickly engulfed in a bright purple light that dragged it to Yuri’s side of the field. “What the?!” Yugo asked, alarmed. “You never had that card during our last duel!”

“You are quite simpleminded,” Yuri said. “I went to a local card store with my team weeks ago for a new booster pack sale. This card was one of the cards I purchased.”

Yugo let out a small frustrated scowl at his Synchro monster being taken from him. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who has been upgrading, improving, and strengthening his deck. But Yuri wasn’t done with his turn.

“I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!” Yuri declared.

Starving Venom roared loudly as he could as he mind merged with Yuri as the Predaplant user was absorbed into the dragon. Yuya was flabbergasted. “How is he doing that?!” he asked aloud.

It never occurred to him until just now on why his counterparts can mind merge in various ways. Yuto overlays his mind with Dark Rebellion whereas Yuri fuses with Starving Venom. He hasn’t seen what Yugo’s Skill variant is, but he does have an idea on what they may represent. The Skills that have been used seemed to have reflect a different special summoning method; the only question is why his mind merge is standard. Is it because the dimension he resided in was also standard? Did he not unlock a Pendulum variant of his Skill? …What would a Pendulum variant of a mind merge look like?

“Earth to Yuya?” Zuzu asked. But the tomato-haired teen was too lost in his thoughts to even hear her.

Back at the duel, with Giganticastle under Yuri’s control and his mind successfully fused with Starving Venom’s, he was ready to begin his Battle Phase, with his ace making the first move. Yugo drove on his Duel Runner, struggling to figure out a counter strategy as he looked at his cards and his Hi-Speedroid Kendama. Even if he does use one of its effects, it wouldn’t make a difference because the double attack would deliver a whopping 3900 points of damage, leaving him with only 100 Life Points! In other words, he is _screwed_.

“I activate the Action Spell Miracle!”

Yugo turned his head to see Crow driving by him, who has already gotten and used the Action Spell. He couldn’t help but notice his friend was in grave danger, so he decided to mash their two duels and make it a 2 vs. 2 tag team duel. It was a clever idea to do so for two reasons: 1. Kendama isn’t destroyed and Yugo only takes 300 damage from Starving Venom’s attack, and 2. Since Crow was already dueling against Sora, the intrusion penalty doesn’t apply, meaning he won’t lose 2000 LP.

“Can’t forget about me!” Rin added. “I activate the Action Spell Big Escape to end Yuri’s Battle Phase!”

Correction: it is now a 3 vs. 3 tag team duel and the intrusion penalty wasn’t utilized since Rin was dueling against Dennis. As a result of this epic save/duel conversion combo, the crowd went insanely wild.

“Incredible!” Nico commented. “Team Turbo has decided to combine their duels into a single tag team! I’ve never seen anything like this!”

“Neither have I,” Melissa agreed. “Looks like these folks are the first Duelists to try such a trick.”

Yugo heard the announcements Nico and Melissa made and the sound of the audience cheering like crazy, and needless to say, he was highly thrilled with it. He wasn’t expecting his friends to help him out by making an amazingly impactful tactic, causing everyone to root for them. This just may be the first time where people are starting to support him.

As for Yuri, he was strongly taken back by what Rin and Crow did because he nearly had his Synchro counterpart on the ropes. Starving Venom reluctantly growled as the mind merge was cancelled and his owner reappeared in his hand to get ready to end his turn, only for him to see that Dennis and Sora were accompanying him.

“My goodness,” Dennis said. “This is quite a surprising twist.”

“Indeed,” Sora agreed. “But if this duel is now a free-for-all, crushing them will be sweeter than before.”

Yuri quickly snapped out of his funk. “You’re right,” he said. “How dare they try to gang up on me! We shall attack them with everything we have!”

Yuri concluded his turn by playing two more face-downs before passing it on to Rin. As she drew a card from her deck, she carried out her Main Phase based on what cards she currently has. So far she was able to summon Winter Bell and she just drew Fusion Sage. If she uses that and the Glass Bell in her hand, she could bring out Crystal Bell. However, since this was now a 3 vs. 3 duel, she came up with a better idea.

“Hey Yugo, is it alright if I borrow your Speedroid?” Rin asked.

Yugo nodded and replied with a “Sure thing”.

“Good,” Rin said. “I summon Windwitch - Glass Bell!” the green-haired Duelist continued. “Not only does she let me retrieve my third Ice Bell from my deck to my hand, but I’m gonna overlay her with Yugo’s Speedroid Horse Stilts, allowing me to XYZ Summon Tornado Dragon!”

Tornado Dragon is a Rank 4 WIND Wyrm-Type XYZ monster with 2100 ATK and 2000 DEF. During either Duelist’s turn, Rin can detach one XYZ Material to target a Spell or Trap card on the field and destroy it.

Rin’s teammates and Team Obelisk were all surprised at how she perfectly executed an XYZ Summon. They were also perplexed on how she even learned how to XYZ Summon when she’s capable of Synchro and Fusion Summoning. She explained that Lulu taught her about it during their imprisonment back at Duel Academy.

Yuto looked over at his girlfriend. “Is that true?”

Lulu nodded in response. “Rin also taught me how to Synchro Summon,” she explained. “It’s fun, but it doesn’t really fit with my Lyrilusc cards.”

“I activate Tornado Dragon’s special ability!” Rin continued. “By using one Overlay Unit, he’ll free Giganticastle from Yuri’s control!”

Tornado Dragon blew a gust of wind that destroyed Mark of the Rose, causing the black rose mark to vanish and Giganticastle to return to Yugo’s side of the field. A stunned Yuri couldn’t believe what he was witnessing; how can someone he abducted some time ago be incredibly handy and strategic in a variety of special summoning? The last thing she might end up doing is learning how to Pendulum and/or Ritual Summon.

“But I’m not done,” Rin added. “I activate the Spell card Fusion Sage to retrieve my Polymerization from my deck!”

The deck slot of Rin’s Duel Disk brought out Polymerization, and as she retrieved it, it caught the audience’s attention, especially Yugi. Through the monitor’s screen, he and everyone else immediately recognized it as the vintage Polymerization card.

“Now I’ll use this same Polymerization card to fuse my Winter Bell with the Ice Bell in my hand!” Rin continued. “Maiden of snow and ice, become one with the magic of crystals and shed your ragged disguise to reveal the princess within! I Fusion Summon Windwitch - Crystal Bell!”

The two Windwitch fusion materials glowed light blue and light red respectively as a huge shard of ice appeared, encasing Crystal Bell in it. Instead of her breaking the ice apart prior to Revival Zero, sparkles lit up from the ground and orbited around her, melting the frozen water while enabling Rin’s Fusion ace to twirl around and bring out her true, inner beauty once more. The Windwitch user let out a cheerful laugh as the field was covered in sparkles.

“My goodness, I never get tired of seein’ that Fusion Summon!” Melissa remarked.

“That’s no surprise,” Nico added as he checked Rin’s bio. “According to her official dueling bio, Rin is known to bring out true beauty in everything, especially in her dueling style.”

What Nico just said was exactly right. No matter how many times it’s been repeated, Rin bringing out true beauty was quite the spectacle to watch. Even Yugo couldn’t help but stare in awe at her wonderful Fusion Summon; in a way, there’s no need for a sparkly vision since the sparkles are already there.

“Yeah!” Yugo cheered. “That’s my adorable snowflake princess! I love you so much, RinRin!”

At this point, Rin didn’t mind Yugo announcing to the entire world about how they’re dating. Due to his high energy, he just can’t help but blurt it out loud; he really loves her and is so gosh darn proud about it.

Blushing slightly, Rin continued her turn. “I’ll activate Crystal Bell’s special ability!” she said. “By using her discarded shell from the Graveyard, she’ll deal out 1400 points worth of damage to Sora!”

Thanks to Crystal Bell’s effect, the Fusion spellcaster inherited Winter Bell’s name and effects for the duration of Rin’s turn, then proceeded to take out 1400 LP from Sora.

“Now Crystal Bell, attack El Shaddoll Grysta!” Rin exclaimed. “Sparkling Snow Gust!”

Crystal Bell aimed her attack at El Shaddoll Grysta and blasted a windy strike that contained sparkly snowflakes that destroyed the target, delivering 350 damage to Dennis’ Life Points. However, thanks to Grysta’s effect, if it was sent to the Graveyard, Dennis can select a Shaddoll Spell/Trap card that is in the Graveyard and add it to his hand.

“Nice try,” Dennis said. “But thanks to El Shaddoll Grysta’s special ability, Shaddoll Core is retrieved from my Graveyard!”

Shaddoll Core is a Continuous Trap card that is also treated as a Level 9 DARK Spellcaster-Type monster with 1450 ATK and 1950 DEF when special summoned. By doing so, it can be substituted for a Fusion Material with a listed attribute on a Shaddoll Fusion Monster. If it’s sent to the Graveyard, Dennis can target a Shaddoll Spell/Trap card in the Graveyard—except Shaddoll Core—and add it to his hand.

The selected Trap card slid out of the Duel Disk’s Graveyard slot and Dennis retrieved it with his right hand.

“But you’re still open for a direct attack!” Rin pointed out. “Tornado Dragon, blow him away!”

Tornado Dragon inhaled and blew out a giant, powerful gust of wind in a similar manner to a dragon that breathes out fire to reduce Dennis’ Life Points down by 2100. “I place one card face down and end my turn,” Rin concluded.

“Not bad,” Sora said. “But it’s my turn!” He drew a card and smiled wide. “Oh yeah!” he said. “I summon Fluffal Mouse from my hand!”

Fluffal Mouse scurried onto the field with a chocolate donut in its hand. Its special ability allows Sora to special summon up to two copies of Fluffal Mouse from his deck during his Main Phase, buy only when it’s face up on the field. He also can’t special summon monsters from his deck on the turn it was activated…except Frightfur monsters, which was perfect for him because he had a Fusion monster in mind that he plans on bringing out.

“Now I’ll activate Fluffal Mouse’s special ability to call on two more Fluffal Mice!” Sora continued. “So I’ll use Polymerization on these three mice along with the Edge Imp Sabers, Fluffal Dog, and Fluffal Cat in my hand! Edge of sharpness, mayhem of mice, barking warrior, and paws of fury! When they all come together, get ready for a flurry! I Fusion Summon Frightfur Wolf!”

The Fusion materials fused together as they glowed light blue and yellow. A pair of scissors cut open a plush stomach before being sewn back in place, with two more scissors using their blades to jab onto the upper torso and support the front paws. A stitched up head turned around in place and howled as two magenta eyes glowed in its mouth before Frightfur Wolf appeared on the field.

Its appearance may look scary, but its effect was the true nightmare. It is allowed to attack multiple times during each Battle Phase based on the number of Fusion Materials used to Fusion Summon it. With a total of five Fluffals and one Edge Imp, Sora can attack six times in his Battle Phases!

“Well done, Sora,” Yuri remarked. “You really have mastered Frightfur Wolf’s special ability.”

“You bet!” Sora replied. “Frightfur Wolf, wipe out Team Turbo once and for all!”

“Not so fast!” Rin exclaimed. “On your attack, I activate Quaking Mirror Force!”

Quaking Mirror Force is a Trap card that is similar to regular Mirror Force, but instead of destroying all attack position monsters the opponent controls, they are switched to face-down defense position and cannot change battle positions due to this effect.

Frightfur Wolf unleashed its attack on Team Turbo, but it was blocked by Quaking Mirror Force, causing the ground to shake and switch it to face-down defense-position. Unfortunately for Sora, the Trap card affects _all_ attack position monsters, and before he knew it, Frightfur Bear was also switched to face-down defense position and he fell down onto the Action Field just as the shaking stopped.

“No fair!” Sora complained, running up to Starving Venom and grabbing onto his tail to keep up with his teammates. “I was this close to winning!” He set a card on his field before ending his turn.

It was now Crow’s turn, and as he drew a card from his deck, he glanced at what he’s got before making his move. He placed the drawn card into his hand and then summoned Blackwing - Kris the Crack of Dawn; thanks to its effect, he can special summon another Blackwing monster besides this one, and he chose Mistral the Silver Shield. He then activated Monster Reborn to bring back Ghibli the Searing Wind. Now he has everything that he needed. He tuned his Level 2 Mistral with his Level 4 Kris and Level 3 Ghibli to Synchro Summon his Level 9 Assault Blackwing - Kusanagi the Gathering Storm.

“Kusanagi, wipe out that weed-covered dragon!” Crow declared.

Kusanagi’s effect allows it to gain ATK equal to the total ATK of the Blackwing Synchro Materials until the End Phase; with a total of 2000 ATK from the three monsters, its ATK shot up from 3000 to 5000 and began to deal 2200 damage to Yuri’s 4000 Life Points. However, the Predaplant user has his two face-downs and he was ready for a counterattack.

“Not so fast!” Yuri said. “I activate the Quick-Play Spell Battle Fusion to strengthen my beloved pet!”

According to Battle Fusion’s effect, Yuri can target an attacking monster and the targeted Fusion monster gains ATK equal to the ATK of said attacking monster; in this case, Starving Venom’s ATK skyrocketed up to 7800, so Crow will end up taking 2800 damage, which is equal to the Fusion Dragon’s original ATK.

“Starving Venom, clip that pesky bird’s wings!” Yuri ordered, aiming his whip at Kusanagi.

Starving Venom extended his wing and shot out purple and magenta lightning bolts at Kusanagi, followed by an aquamarine blast that destroyed the monster. Prior to the three duels becoming a tag team duel, after Sora Fusion Summoned Frightfur Bear, Crow summoned Ghibli in defense position, which was destroyed and then equipped onto the opposing monster, gaining 1000 ATK due to its effect. In other words, he hasn’t lost any LP until now, which makes his current LP 1200.

“Dang it!” Crow said. “I set two cards face down and end my turn!”

“Then it’s my turn!” Dennis said. “I draw!” He checked his hand. “Excellent. I summon Shaddoll Dragon!”

Shaddoll Dragon flew out from his card and onto the field. It is a Level 4 DARK Spellcaster-Type monster with 1900 ATK and 0 DEF. Its flip summon effect can send a monster the opponent controls back to their hand while its monster effect can target and destroy a Spell/Trap card on the field if a card effect send it to the Graveyard. The downside is only one Shaddoll Dragon effect can be used once per turn, and only once that turn.

“But that’s not all,” Dennis continued. “I play the Spell card Nephe Shaddoll Fusion, allowing my Shaddoll Dragon to become a light-attribute monster so I can fuse it with the Shaddoll Beast in my hand! Now I shall Fusion Summon El Shaddoll Construct!”

The many doll-like limbs attached itself until it formed a female body that looked like she was wearing a long-sleeved dress that went passed the knees, except the front part of the skirt was more open. She is a Level 8 LIGHT Fairy-Type monster with 2800 ATK and 2500 DEF. She must first be Fusion Summoned using a Shaddoll monster and a LIGHT monster as Fusion Materials. If she was special summoned, a Shaddoll card can be sent from the deck to the Graveyard. During the Damage Step, if she was battling a special summoned monster, that monster is destroyed. If she was sent to the Graveyard, a Shaddoll Spell/Trap card can be selected in the Graveyard and added to Dennis’ hand.

“Now attack that oversized sword, El Shaddoll Construct!” Dennis commanded.

Not too far away from where Team Turbo was, Yugo spotted an Action Card right next to the track and sped up to grab it from the ground. “I activate the Action Spell Evasion!” he exclaimed. “So now Kendama is safe!”

As fast she was getting ready to attack, El Shaddoll Construct had her attack negated and went back to her standard position. “You got lucky this time!” Dennis said, setting a card.

“My turn!” Yugo happily said. “I draw!” He brought his hand towards him so that he can see what card he drew. He became starry-eyed because he had a feeling this was a winning card. “Final turn!”

As the Card Fighters cheered after hearing Yugo say those two words, he carried out his turn that will potentially lead his team to victory. “First I’ll summon my second Speedroid Dominobutterfly from my hand!” he declared. “Then I’ll tune it with Hi-Speedroid Kendama to pave the way for a dragon even mightier than Clear Wing! I Synchro Summon! Take flight, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!”

Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon is a Level 8 WIND Dragon-Type Synchro monster with 3000 ATK and 2500 DEF. Once per turn, her quick effect allows her to negate an opposing monster’s activation, destroy said monster, and gain ATK equal to the destroyed monster’s original ATK until the end of this turn. If she’s battling a Level 5 or higher monster, she gains ATK equal to the target’s current ATK during damage calculation.

Rin was amazed, glancing at Yugo. He looked back at her and winked, making her blush slightly. She knew exactly what he was planning on doing.

“Now I equip Crystal Wing with the Equip Spell United We Stand!” Yugo continued. “Allowing my dragon to get stronger thanks to my girlfriend’s monsters!”

“So what?!” Yuri asked. “I defeated you once, and I’ll defeat you again!”

“I don’t think so,” Rin said. “I activate the Trap card Lost Wind!”

“That’s not all,” Crow added. “I activate my newest Trap card: Oasis of Dragon Souls!”

Lost Wind enabled Rin to target a special summoned monster and simultaneously half its ATK and negate its effects while Oasis of Dragon Soul allowed Crow to target a monster in the Graveyard and special summon it in defense position as a Wyrm-Type; if the Continuous Trap leaves the field, the monster is destroyed and vice versa.

“How dare you use that Trap card on me, you little witch!” Yuri exclaimed.

“What can I say?” Rin cheekily asked. “Didn’t want my boyfriend to have a repeat of your last duel with him.”

Starving Venom’s ATK got cut in half from 2800 to 1400 due to Rin’s Lost Wind. As for Crow, he special summons Kusanagi the Gathering Storm back onto the field as a Wyrm-Type and in defense position. Including the resurrected Synchro monster, there was also Giganticastle, Tornado Dragon, and Windwitch - Crystal Bell, meaning Team Turbo had a total of four monsters on the field aside from Crystal Wing. With United We Stand, she gained a 3200 ATK and DEF boost, making her current ATK and DEF 6200 and 5700 respectively.

“But that’s not all!” Yugo continued. “I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!”

The Skill’s activation resulted in his Duel Runner becoming synced for two reasons: his Duel Disk has been programmed into it and the mind merge helps prevent it from crashing. His mind then began to tune itself with Crystal Wing’s, creating what seemed to be a humanized Synchro Summon; in reality, this was definitely Yugo’s Synchro variant of his Skill. Yuya was still watching the duel from the Center Duel Field’s monitor screen, and after seeing yet another mind merge variation, his mind was pretty much broken by now.

“I…” Yuya stammered. “H-How…”

WHACK!

Zuzu had taken out her paper fan and used it to whack Yuya’s head. It has been weeks since she last brought it out. Thankfully that was enough to snap Yuya out of it.

“Thanks Zuzu,” Yuya said.

Zuzu smiled and gave Yuya a loving kiss, her fingers in his hair. “You’re welcome,” she replied.

Back at the duel, Yugo had completed tuning his mind with Crystal Wing’s and saw that s/he had punctured through Starving Venom, who roared in agony before exploding that sent Yuri flying towards the ground as he lost all of his Life Points. Because the Fusion dragon was in the air at a pretty high altitude while going at a fast speed, and combined with the devastating attack he received, it caused him to nearly break his spine upon impact. Sora, on the other hand, lost his grip on the dragon’s tail when he exploded and the force from the explosion pushed him back, landing face first on the ground at a good enough distance away from the tag team Turbo Duel; the last thing he needed was to get run over by Duel Runners.

“Hey Red!” Sora called out to Dennis. “A little help here?”

Dennis heard his friend’s cry. “El Shaddoll Construct, please assist our friend,” he commanded.

Construct left the duel and levitated over to where Sora was before lowering her right arm down and opening her hand to offer him a lift. He got up from the ground and hopped on her hand while rubbing his face, which had a few scratches here and there. He was kind of glad that he didn’t end up with a bloody or broken nose from that faceplant. Raising her arm back up with Sora sitting on her palm, they glided back to where the Turbo Duel was currently at. As they whisked by, his eyes caught something; he could have sworn he saw Yuri. He turned his body around and found himself staring at his Obelisk friend, laying down because of how hurt he was. There might even be a possibility that he might lose consciousness.

From the sidelines, Celina also saw Yuri. She activated her Duel Disk. “I activate Polymerization!” she declared. “Lunalight Cat Dancer, retrieve Yuri and bring him to me!”

Lunalight Cat Dancer grooved her way out onto her field and immediately obeyed Celina’s declaration, hovering to where Yuri laid, picking him up, and returning back to her owner with him being cradled in her arms. With the Fusion monster setting him on the ground, she returned to Celina’s deck as the Duel Disk deactivated.

Celina’s eyes were locked in place shortly after she deactivated her Duel Disk, staring deep into Yuri’s face to make sure he wasn’t in too much pain. Yet…she couldn’t help but think about how cute he was when he’s sleeping. The thoughts overflowed her mind and gradually consumed her until she placed her lips onto his and sealed it with a kiss.

Yuri’s green eyes slowly opened. “Celina…?” he muttered.

Celina smirked. “Welcome back, Sleeping Cutie,” she said.

Sora and Dennis had briefly spotted Cat Dancer carrying Yuri off to the sidelines for some help, meaning it was time for them to go full force on Team Turbo. Once Yugo cancelled his mind merge and ended his turn, the “child psycho” drew a card and then activated his face-down.

“I activate the Trap card Frightfur Designer!” Sora declared. “This’ll allow me to retrieve Fluffal Cat from my Graveyard and treat her as a Frightfur monster!”

The special summoned Fluffal Cat pounced her way out of the Graveyard and onto the field. Sora then jumped off from El Shaddoll Construct’s hand and landed on Fluffal Cat’s back for transportation. “Good kitty,” he said, patting the top of her head. “Now I just need something to get the rest of the team back into battle…”

Cat scurried along the track as Sora searched throughout the Action Field. He doesn’t have anything in his hand that could help him, so he’s hoping he can find an Action Card somewhere. Fortunately, he spotted one on the right side of the track. With help from the Fairy-Type monster, he retrieved it.

“I activate the Action Spell Backflip!” Sora exclaimed. “Allowing me to get back my two Frightfurs!”

Backflip was an Action Spell card that can negate card effects on monsters that flipped them from attack position to face-down defense position. The two face-down cards turned around vertically and then flipped up back in Attack Position, bring back Frightfurs Bear and Wolf, much to Rin’s dumbfoundment.

“But that’s not all!” Sora continued. “Now I can activate the Spell card Frightfur Fusion, allowing me to fuse Frightfur Bear and Frightfur Wolf with the Edge Imp Frightfuloid in my hand! Fury of bear, beastly huffer, ragged stitches! When the three come together, prepare for some glitches! I Fusion Summon! Come out my mighty mashup! Frightfur Chimera!”

The three banished Fusion Materials glowed red, green, and gold as they swirled around into one monster. A dark blob morphed itself into shaped before revealing its monstrous form to the public. Sora’s greatest creation has surfaced once again and he is showing no mercy; it is part of the Wicked Dueltainment, after all.

“Your repulsive monstrosity is no match for us!” Rin exclaimed.

“Oh, I wouldn’t get your hopes up too soon,” Sora said. “I activate Frightfur Chimera’s special ability! He gains 300 additional attack points for every monster on the field!”

Crystal Wing, Crystal Bell, Tornado Dragon, Kusanagi, El Shaddoll Construct, Shaddoll Hound, and Fluffal Cat. That makes seven monsters, meaning Chimera gains an additional 2100 ATK for a total of 4900 ATK!

“Now how about I put that pathetic excuse of a Fusion card out of its misery?” Sora asked. “Frightfur Chimera, attack!”

Chimera’s bear head opened up its mouth and fired a missile that destroyed Crystal Bell, lowering Rin’s LP down to 1900. Unfortunately for Sora, he triggered her second effect.

“Nice try,” Rin said. “Crystal Bell returns to the field in her previous form!”

“Yeah, well I’m still taking your Fusion card!” Sora pointed out. He then special summoned Crystal Bell on his side of the field, increasing Chimera’s ATK up to 5200 due to its effect. Because Crystal Bell hit the Graveyard upon being destroyed, her effect still activated as Rin special summoned Winter Bell and her Level 3 Ice Bell.

“Alright Rin,” Crow said. “Think you can finish things off?”

“Gladly,” Rin answered. She drew a card. “I activate Fusion Recovery!” From her Graveyard, she retrieved Polymerization and another Ice Bell, the one used to Fusion Summon Crystal Bell.

“And she’s done it again!” Nico announced. “Just like during yesterday’s duels, Rin has successfully retrieved her only Polymerization card!”

“Now I’ll combine Winter Bell with one of my two Ice Bells!” Rin continued. “Sparkle to life once more, Windwitch - Crystal Bell!”

The second Crystal Bell Fusion Summoned in the same manner Rin’s first copy did: a giant chunk of ice containing her rising up on the field and sparkles orbiting around and melting the ice, giving her the freedom to twirl around to demonstrate her true beauty.

“So what?” Sora asked. “I’ve heard all about your new Fusion-Synchro strategy. As long as I have your first Crystal Bell, you can’t deal any massive effect damage.”

Rin giggled. “Not true,” she replied. “Tornado Dragon, attack the Crystal Bell that Sora imprisoned and return her to my Graveyard!”

Tornado Dragon breathed out another gust of wind that was aimed at the first Crystal Bell, whose ATK was halved to 1400, destroying her and bringing Sora’s Life Points down to 1900. This worked to her advantage because her monster was sent back to Rin’s Graveyard, meaning she can activate her monster’s effect.

“Now I activate Crystal Bell’s special ability!” Rin continued. “Use your former shell and absorb your twin’s level into effect damage!”

Crystal Bell absorbed Winter Bell’s name and effect to target the destroyed copy of herself to deal 1600 damage to Sora, leaving him with only 300 LP. However, he wasn’t impressed.

“Nice try!” Sora exclaimed. “But I still have a couple of life points!”

“I know,” Rin said. “Why else would I have the Trap card Secret Barrel?”

Secret Barrel is a Trap card that deals 200 damage for every card the opponent controls and that are in their hand. Right now, Sora controls two monsters on the field and has used up all the cards in his hands, meaning he will take 400 damage; in other words, he will lose the duel.

“What?!” Sora asked. “You tricked me!”

“That’s RinRin’s strategy!” Yugo explained. “She’s a pro at dishing out effect damage!”

“Precisely,” Rin agreed. “And with this final attack, Team Turbo officially wins the duel!”

Secret Barrel fired out bright yellow orbs of light towards Sora, dwindling his Life Points down to 0, giving Team Turbo the victory. Even if Dennis did end up pulling a win in his turn, it still wouldn’t make a difference because the tournament rules say the team duels are best two out of three.

“And with that, Rin has allowed her team to move on to the final round!” Nico announced.

The audience cheered and applauded for Team Turbo as they slowed their Duel Runners down to a stop and the Action Field and monsters dematerialized. Dennis landed safely by jumping off of Shaddoll Hound whereas Sora fell butt-first onto the ground once Fluffal Cat vanished. In terms of constantly getting hurt, today was not his day.

“Aw man!” Sora complained as he stood up. “We were this close to winning!”

“Don’t worry, Sora,” Dennis said, placing his hand on the blue-haired boy’s shoulder. “Rin is a tricky one. It’s a good Yuri disarmed her in the Synchro Dimension.”

It was true that Yuri easily took care of Rin before abducting her. Besides, the former Obelisk Force trio not making to the finals wasn’t a complete loss; their first ever Wicked Dueltainment was a huge success. Speaking of which, Sora and Dennis had to get Yuri for their closing monologue.

They began to run their way to where Lunalight Cat Dancer brought their friend to safety. Meanwhile, anguish and pain filled up Yuri’s body and brain, which Celina quickly noticed. Was it because his back was hurting after falling from such a tall height? Was it because his team didn’t make it to the finals? Whatever the reason is, she decided to show him some affection. The same kind of affection from yesterday by kissing his neck. Unbeknownst to them, Sora and Dennis had already arrived to get him for their closing monologue when they saw their…display.

“Yuri, you can spend time with your girlfriend later,” Dennis said. “We have to conclude our Wicked Dueltainment.”

“Oh, right…” Yuri said, closing his eyes as he embraced his girlfriend’s affection. “Oh no, Team Turbo has defeated us. Guess we must retreat for another day. Yugo’s dragon and soul will be mine, blah blah blah blah blah.”

This sounded very unlike Yuri to be speaking like that; one might even say he was out of character. For starters, he called Yugo by his actual name this time. No “moron”. No “XYZ”. Just Yugo. Secondly, and more importantly, he was too distracted by the amount of affection he was receiving from Celina.

“No… Seriously…” Sora said, feeling embarrassed. “We should get going.”

“Do you mind?” Yuri asked. “I just realized Miss Celina dressed up nicely for me and I wish to spend time with her-” He moaned a bit when he felt her nipping at his neck, reaching up to put his hand on the back of her head. “Oh yes, please continue.”

Well, this was…awkward for Sora and Dennis. But after a few more nips, Celina stopped her moment of affection. “Well, that’s enough affection,” she said.

“But Miss Celina, I see you are wearing a dress and the Solid Vision rose I gave you on our first date,” Yuri said. “Let me spend more time with you.”

“No, your team’s right,” Celina said. She gave Yuri a single kiss on the lips. “Now go knock ‘em dead.”

Yuri took out his Violet Flash card and asked Sora and Dennis to place their hands on his shoulders. They wondered why he would question something like that when they were informed that he had a feeling others that are making physical contact with him will teleport along with him. Honestly, it was a good thing he was using Violet Flash because the shirt he bought from the store a few weeks ago didn’t exactly cover his neck, so a red bruise was exposed after the nips he received. He figured he and his friends need a costume change for their closing monologue before the finals begin.

“So what do you say?” Yuri asked. “Shall we begin our closing monologue?”

“You bet!” Sora answered.

“Indeed,” Dennis agreed.

One Violet Flash later, the trio was now changed into their respective costumes they wore during their opening act. They headed off to the center of the arena, fully prepared to give out their ending speech on how successful their first Wicked Dueltainment act was.


	24. Tournament Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Team Duel Tournament final has officially begun! With Team Smiles and Team Turbo facing off against each other, Zuzu reveals how much her dueling strategies have greatly improved, but is it enough to defeat Rin's Fusion-Synchro strategy?

“Alright everyone,” Aichi said. “Will Team Smiles please join Team Turbo-”

His speech was abruptly interrupted by a bright purple light, which revealed itself to be Team Obelisk, ready to give their closing monologue.

“Don’t celebrate just yet, Team Turbo,” Yuri said. “You might have defeated us this time, but it won’t be long before I obtain your dragon and soul! And I certainly didn’t forget about the leaders of Team Smiles and Team Noble.”

“Yeah, just you wait!” Sora added. “We’ll defeat all of you some day!”

“Although don’t you think things would be easier with more people?” Dennis asked.

Yuri let out a gasp. “You’re right,” he said. “We could recruit more people to join us!”

The other eleven teams hearing this announcement started to catch on to what Yuri was saying. He and his friends want to teach people about Wicked Dueltainment—acting out as the villain through Duel Monsters to entertain the audience.

“And whaddya know?” Sora asked. “I see a lot of potential minions in the audience.”

“Precisely,” Yuri agreed. “So if there are any Duelists-in-training who wish to join us, meet us at Duel Academy.” He held up his Violet Flash card as he grinned evilly. “We’ll be waiting.”

Violet Flash glowed bright purple again, shortly blinding everyone until Yuri, Sora, and Dennis had vanished. As Yuri predicted, a lot of little kids in the audience were excited. He also had a feeling not everyone dueled cheerfully and would rather prefer a more sinister method of Dueltainment; after all, it never hurts to pretend to be the villain.

“As I was saying,” Aichi said. “Will Team Smiles please join Team Turbo for the final duel of the tournament.”

The two winning teams walked towards the arena’s middle and stopped at a decent distance away from each and in between of Aichi and Declan. Yuya’s red and green eyes stared directly into Yugo's yellow eyes, with the latter no longer showing ill will towards his Pendulum counterpart due to his newfound fame from the semifinals.

“This will be a standard team duel,” Declan instructed. “Whichever team wins two out of three duels will be crowned the winners of the tournament. Naturally since Team Turbo has their Duel Disks built into their Duel Runners, they are to not cause any physical harm towards Team Smiles.”

The four members nodded their heads in agreement; besides, they have known Yuya, Zuzu, and Gong for quite some time, so not harming them physically will be a piece of cake.

“With that settled, the final duel of the first ever Team Duel Tournament, which is sponsored by ObsidianCorp, shall begin!” Declan said.

As Shinji stood aside, the remaining six teammates activated their Duel Disks, with Yugo, Rin, and Crow back on their Duel Runners with their helmets on. The final round then began with a collective shout of “Let’s duel!”.

“Ready for a Pendulum duo?” Yuya asked.

“You bet!” Zuzu answered.

“I’ll use Dragonpulse Magician and Black Fang Magician to set my Pendulum Scale!” Yuya declared.

“And I’ll set my Pendulum Scale with Beetho the Melodious Songstress and Opheli the Melodious Operetta!” Zuzu chimed in.

Scale 1 Dragonpulse Magaician and Scale 8 Black Fang Magician were placed onto Yuya’s Pendulum Zones, allowing him to summon monsters from Levels 2 to 7. As for Zuzu, she can simultaneously summon monsters between Levels 2 and 8 thanks to her Scale 1 Beetho and Scale 9 Opheli.

“Swing far, Pendulum!” Yuya chanted. “Carve the arc of victory!”

“And let us take flight in a beautiful harmony!” Zuzu added.

The two joined hands. “Double Pendulum Summon!”

The two Pendulum “portals” opened up as Yuya and Zuzu Pendulum Summoned their monsters.

“Strike up a choir, Harmonizing Magician!” Yuya exclaimed. “Rewind time, Timegazer Magician! Turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!”

Odd-Eyes flashed its dual-colored eyes and roared out as the two magicians landed on each side, Harmonizing Magician on the left and Timegazer Magician on the right.

Harmonizing Magician is a Level 4 Scale 8 DARK Spellcaster-Type Pendulum Tuner Monster with 0 ATK and DEF. Her Pendulum effect gives all of Yuya’s monsters 100 ATK and DEF for every different-named Magician Pendulum monster in his Extra Deck. Her monster effect prevents her from being special summoned and from being Fusion, Synchro, or XYZ Material unless the other Materials are also Magician Pendulum monsters. If she was Pendulum Summoned from Yuya’s hand, he can special summon a different Magician Pendulum monster in defense position with its effects negated and is banished when it leaves the field, but this effect can only be used once per turn.

“That’s right, ladies and gentlemen!” Yuya cheerfully announced. “Tuning Magician recently got a makeover! Everyone’s favorite Tuner has been Pendulumified!”

With Yuya done with his Pendulum Summon, Zuzu continued with hers, calling out her monsters’ names as they materialized onto her field. “I Pendulum Summon the Melodious Divas Score and Aria!” she exclaimed.

Her two monsters waltzed their way onto the field as Score sang a melodic song before finishing her summoning debut. She was a Level 2 LIGHT Fairy-Type monster with 200 ATK and DEF. If she was in Zuzu’s hand and a Melodious monster battles an opposing monster, she can be sent to the Graveyard during damage calculation to change said opposing monster’s ATK and DEF to 0 until the end of the turn.

“But that’s not all!” Zuzu continued. “Next I summon the tuner monster Buten!”

A small pig flew onto the field with its small wings, meaning that pig was Buten, a Level 1 LIGHT Fairy-Type Tuner monster with 200 ATK and 300 DEF. During Zuzu’s Main Phase, she can banish this card to target a Level 4 or lower LIGHT Fairy-Type monster she controls and treat it as a Tuner while it’s face up.

The moment Zuzu said “Tuner”, the audience immediately knew she was going to Synchro Summon. Stupefaction was everyone’s shared reaction because the only two special summons she can do were Fusion and Pendulum Summons. After learning that a Synchro user like Rin XYZ Summoned for the first time, they all should have seen this one coming.

“Ready for the grand finale?” Yuya asked.

“You bet, cutie pie!” Zuzu answered with a wink.

The two teens joined hands again. “Double Synchro Summon!”

Yuya tuned his Level 4 Harmonizing Magician with his Level 3 Timegazer Magician while Zuzu tuned her Level 1 Buten with her Level 2 Score and Level 4 Aria for their double Synchro Summon.

“Come on out, Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon!” Yuya exclaimed.

“And Ancient Sacred Wyvern!” Zuzu exclaimed.

Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon’s flashed his red eyes as he flew right next to hiss Pendulum counterpart and roared while Ancient Sacred Wyvern glided to the center of Zuzu’s field.

Meteorburst Dragon is a Level 7 FIRE Dragon-Type Synchro monster with 2500 ATK and 2000 DEF. When he is special summoned, Yuya can target a monster in his Pendulum Zone and special summon it with its effects negated, but this effect can only be done once per turn. Also, monsters in the opponent’s possession are prohibited from activating their effects during the Battle Phase.

Because there aren’t any Melodious Synchros, Zuzu had to improvise by Synchro Summoning Ancient Sacred Wyvern, a Level 7 LIGHT Fairy-Type Synchro monster with 2100 ATK and 2000 DEF. If she has more Life Points than her opponent, she gains ATK equal to that difference. If she has less Life Points than her opponent, however, then she loses ATK equal to the difference. If she was destroyed by battle, she can pay 1000 LP to special summon her from her Graveyard.

“And there you have it!” Nico exclaimed. “Yuya Sakaki and Zuzu Boyle have demonstrated their perfect in-sync Dueltainment!”

“Alright, that concludes this performance this turn!” Yuya said.

“Now it’s your turn!” Zuzu said.

However, the only reactions their Synchro counterparts had was pure confusion. Furrowed eyebrows illustrating bafflement, stares of perplexity, and virtual nonresponses. They wondered why they were suddenly like that for a short time until they learned that Gong and Crow were already a few turns ahead of them. How is that even possible?

“Wow, what took you so long?” Rin asked.

Because of Yuya and Zuzu’s Pendulum-Synchro Summons, the two pairs of counterparts were a bit behind in their duels. On the plus side, Gong and Crow’s duels will help them determine which team gets their first win of the round.

“I’m not sure what just happened, but I like it,” Yugo said. “Ready to do this, RinRin?”

“You bet!” Rin happily answered.

The two Synchro Duelists drew their cards and started their turns, but they carried out their duels separately: Zuzu vs. Rin and Yuya vs. Yugo. After taking a look at her six cards in her hands, Rin initiated her Main Phase.

“Since I don’t have any monsters on my field, I’ll summon Windwitch - Ice Bell!” Rin declared.

A small pile of snow materialized as a gust of wind swirled it around into a circle, exploding to reveal Ice Bell. “Now I activate Ice Bell’s special ability!” Rin continued. “Not only do you automatically lose 500 life points, but I can also summon another Ice Bell from my deck!”

Shards of ice aimed towards Zuzu, causing her LP to lower to 3500 as a second Ice Bell was summoned onto the field; at the same time, due to Ancient Sacred Wyvern’s effect, her ATK was lowered down to 1600.

“And since I summoned another Ice Bell, you lose another 500 life points!” Rin continued.

Zuzu got pelted with more ice from the second Ice Bell that reduced her LP and Wyvern’s ATK to 3000 and 1100 respectively. “Wow,” she said. “Yugo wasn’t kidding when he mentioned how strong you are.”

“Oh, I’m just getting started!” Rin said. “With my two Ice Bells on the field, here comes Windwitch - Snow Bell!”

A snowball was thrown and then it levitated to its monster zone, where it burst and displayed Snow Bell. Rin now had all the monsters that she needs to bring out her ace.

“Now I’ll tune Snow Bell with my two Ice Bells!” Rin declared. “Midwinter wind, make ice and snow my power and appear in all your wintertime glory! I Synchro Summon Windwitch - Winter Bell!”

The three monsters tuned with each other and out came Winter Bell as she soared into the center of Rin’s field. Zuzu knew what was going to happen next.

“I activate Winter Bell’s special ability!” Rin continued. “You lose life points equal to the doubled amount of Ice Bell’s level!”

Ice Bell’s Level is 3, so Zuzu was taking 600 damage. Winter Bell blasted a strong blow of snowy wind that lowered her LP down to 2400 while Wyvern’s ATK became a mere 500. This was bad; how was she going to attack Rin during her turn? If Winter Bell destroyed a weakened Wyvern, she’ll take 1900 more damage, leaving her with 500 Life Points left. That will make paying 1000 LP to special summon her from the Graveyard a losing move. Unless…

Zuzu proceeded to sit on Wyvern’s back. “Alright girl,” she said. “Time to get an Action Card!”

Wyvern lifted off and up into the air as she and Zuzu flew throughout the Action Field in search for an Action Card. Not far from them, Rin and Winter Bell chased after them as she declared her attack to start her Battle Phase.

“Windwitch - Winter Bell, attack Ancient Sacred Wy-” Rin started to say.

She had to cut her declaring move short as she stopped running, with Winter Bell following suit and almost flying into Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, who was…stumbling for some reason. She looked back at Yuya to tell him to keep his monsters with him, but she saw his unconscious body on the ground and Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon inhabiting his owner’s mannerisms, much like Pendulum Dragon. She knew mind merges had variations as she had witnessed Yuto’s, Yuri’s, and Yugo’s, but what kind of variant was Yuya going for? A Pendulum version of his Skill? Because it was clearly not working; he’s going to give himself a headache if he keeps this up.

After a few minutes of flying around the arena, Ancient Sacred Wyvern flew next to Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. “Yuya, what’s going on?” Zuzu asked.

Even though Yuya couldn’t speak when using his Skill, Pendulum Dragon let out moaning growls as a response, which also came from Meteorburst Dragon as well. This was definitely something she’s never seen before…and she thought seeing him trying to master the mind merge multiple times was weird enough.

“Is this about what Yuto, Yuri, and Yugo did with their Skills?” Zuzu asked.

Both Odd-Eyes dragons nodded their heads out of slight embarrassment. Yuya just couldn’t stop thinking about how his counterparts were able to discover and easily master alternate versions of their common Skill in a span of a few weeks.

Zuzu patted Wyvern on the back, commanding her to land next to Yuya’s body. She did, allowing the Melodious user to rush over to her boyfriend and place his hand on the En Flowers marking on her right cheek.

Despite his mind merged with two dragons, she was hoping their newfound channeling abilities will help him out. Time went by, from a few seconds to a few minutes, but it felt like it was taking forever. Just then, she started to feel a tingling sensation inside her head as her marking faintly glowed pink from underneath Yuya’s hand; within her surroundings, Pendulum and Meteorburst Dragons were also attempting to try and channel their owner’s mind to Zuzu.

_“This isn’t fair!”_ Zuzu heard Yuya cry out. _“The other guys already have cooler mind merges than me! I should have a cool mind merge too!”_

“So you decided to merge your mind with two dragons at once?” Zuzu asked.

_“Pendulum Summoning is about being able to summon multiple monsters at once,”_ Yuya explained. _“Since the other guys learned mind merges based on their preferred summoning methods, I thought I could do the same thing.”_

What Yuya was basically saying is he’s jealous that he’s stuck with the standard Skill while his counterparts obtained special summoning-eqsue alterations of it. Hearing this revelation broke Zuzu’s heart.

“Oh Yuya…” the pink-haired girl said, using her free hand to stroke his hair. “I get that you want to improve your Skill, but we have after the tournament to work on that. You can’t let your envy of the other guys interfere your dueling.”

Yuya honestly did try after getting hit in the head with her paper fan, but when he saw his two summoned dragons, the thought returned and he couldn’t help but experiment with this a little.

_“But-”_ Yuya started to say.

“But nothing,” Zuzu interrupted, still stroking the tomato-colored locks. “Now stop moping around and focus on your duel with Yugo.”

Just as Yuya was about to continue his duel with his dragons, as seem by them getting ready to unleash their attacks, they started to feel something. Something…soothing. Rejuvenating even. They turned around to see Zuzu stroking his dual-colored hair from his body and started to purr from this feeling. It was a little weird that the Yu-Salad’s passed out bodies are capable of experiencing physical contact when their minds have been merged yet it was a good kind of weird. It was quite relaxing as the two dragons continued purring in response to this feeling; their owner _really_ liked it.

_“Mmmm…”_ Yuya moaned. He let out a sigh. _“Alright, I’ll stop.”_

As Zuzu smiled after hearing his response, they ended their mind channel so that they can get back to their duels. Yuya also cancelled his mind merge with Odd-Eyes Pendulum and Meteorburst Dragons in order to properly have them attack Yugo while Zuzu returned to Ancient Sacred Wyvern, who had a feeling where their Action Card was.

“Hey, Zuzu,” Yuya said.

Zuzu looked back at Yuya. “Yes?”

“Thanks,” Yuya said. He winked at her.

Zuzu’s mouth formed another smile as the two headed back to their duels, with the Melodious user hopping back onto Wyvern to get the Action Card. At the same time, Rin tried again with her Battle Phase, but this time, she threw up her left hand containing her En Winds marking to activate her Skill.

“I activate my Skill: Natural Energy Burst!” Rin exclaimed.

As her marking glowed green, winter winds blew from below her feet and spiraled around her and up towards the back of her hand until a blast of cold air burst from where her marking was. As a result, the En Winds symbol faded into appearance on Winter Bell’s forehead, giving her an additional 500 ATK.

“Not so fast!” Zuzu exclaimed. “Ancient Sacred Wyvern, go get that Action Card!”

Wyvern flew to where she thought the Action Card might be with Zuzu sitting on her back. Once they were in a close range, she grabbed the Action Card with her right hand as her monster zoomed by.

Zuzu looked at the Action Card. “Good girl,” she said. “I activate the Action Spell Evasion to protect my beloved Synchro monster from harm!”

Before Winter Bell could bring out her attack, she returned to her standard attack position, negating her attack and ending the Battle Phase. “Not bad,” Rin said as she played a single face down. “But I’ll defeat that dragon on my next turn.”

“Oh I wouldn’t say that,” Zuzu said. She drew a card, realizing she drew exactly what she needed. “I Pendulum Summon the Melodious Divas Canon and Opera!”

Canon and Opera flew out of the Pendulum “portal” and made their summoning debuts by singing their sonata and operatic melodies. However, Yuya noticed this and quickly became concerned. Was she going to XYZ Summon? If so, when did she learn that summoning technique?

“Now I overlay Opera the Melodious Diva and Canon the Melodious Diva to build the Overlay Network!” Zuzu continued. “Sparkle and shine to life the glorious morning light! I XYZ Summon Number 52: Diamond Crab King!”

The number 52 shaped itself in the air and flashed gold before disappearing as Diamond Crab King crawled out of the Overlay Network and onto her field. He was a Rank 4 EARTH Rock-Type XYZ monster with 0 ATK and 3000 DEF. By detaching one XYZ material, the ATK and DEF get switched around until the End Phase, but it can only be done once per turn. If he attacks, he changes to defense position after the Battle Phase; if he is attacked, he can switch back to attack position after the Damage Step if he has no XYZ Materials/Overlay Units. Only one No. 52: Diamond Crab King can be controlled.

Yuto noticed his girlfriend’s concerned expression. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“Zuzu, what are you thinking?!” Lulu called out. “You know that card is dangerous!”

“What are you talking ab-” Yuto started to say.

All of a sudden, he heard the sound of Zuzu screaming in pain as a dark aura illuminated around her. From the looks of things, she was incapable of resisting this odd force.

“Yes, Zuzu Boyle. Let the Number take hold,” a soothing voice said in her head.

“Lulu, when did Zuzu get that card?” Yuto asked.

“I’m not sure,” Lulu answered. “I invited Zuzu over to teach her XYZ Summoning when she accidentally touched that weird necklace on your nightstand. She blanked out for a few minutes and when she recovered, that card had appeared in her deck.”

Weird necklace? Yuto’s eyes widened when he remembered what she was talking about: the Millennium Necklace Ishizu gave to Shay to give to him! The last time he used it was when he saw glimpses of Heartland City in the alternate timeline a few days ago. He had almost forgotten about it until now.

“What’s wrong?” Lulu asked.

“I think Zuzu got a card from an alternate timeline,” Yuto realized.

Lulu has heard of the multiverse theory, but she never knew about an alternate timeline, so Yuto explained everything to her as confused panic ensued from within the Center Duel Field. In a nutshell, if a man named Solomon Moto hadn’t donate the Egyptian puzzle to the museum, none of the counterparts would have existed, but at least Zarc wouldn’t have been corrupted. Zuzu must have ended up in the alternate Heartland City where Yuma lives and returned with that Number card.

“Oh dear,” Lulu said. “I hope that didn’t ruin the alternative timeline.”

Yuto hoped so too; when he witnessed his future and went to the other timeline with Yuya and Yugi, they were viewing snippets of certain and important events in their vision. Since they were “ghosts” during that experience, it didn’t effect it at all. Was Zuzu also watching a vision from events in Yuma’s life as an unseen spirit too? If not, then what did she do that made her get that Number card?

Back on the field, Zuzu’s corruption was growing worse and worse by the minute. She couldn’t stop screaming and the aura surrounding her became darker as she was falling victim to the Number’s hold on her. The audience, Duelists, and Card Fighters shared mix reactions of increased worry, fear, and panic, but they were all confused.

Suddenly, a golden 52 appeared in the palm of Zuzu’s right hand. “I activate Diamond Crab King’s special ability!” she exclaimed, speaking in a slight daze. “By using one Overlay Unit, all of his defense points become attack points!”

Diamond Crab King bellowed out as his DEF and ATK switched so that he had 3000 ATK and 0 DEF. In other words, he was now stronger than Winter Bell.

“Diamond Crab King, attack Windwitch - Winter Bell!” Zuzu exclaimed. “Thousand Diamond Shards!”

The Number monster simultaneously raised his arms and opened its claws as one thousand shards of diamonds shot up from the ground and into the air. He then sharply lowered them towards Winter Bell and snapped his claws shut to fire them. They pelted and punctured through her, causing her to explode and lower Rin’s LP to 3400. In turn, Ancient Sacred Wyvern’s ATK raised up from 500 to 1500 thanks to her effect; a 1000 ATK boost may not be sufficient, but it was an improvement. That couldn’t be said the same about Zuzu, who was getting deeper into the corruption.

“I’ll conclude this turn by switching Ancient Sacred Dragon to defense mode and setting a card face down,” Zuzu said. “Your turn.”

As a worrisome Rin drew a card from her deck, Yuya and Yugo were still dueling as seen by Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon flying off into the air. The two Synchro monsters were about to duke it out. But given that Yugo was nowhere to be seen and Yuya was unconscious, that could only mean the two counterparts used their Skills.

“My goodness!” Nico exclaimed. “It seems Yuya and Yugo realized their Skills prevent their dragons from crashing!”

Basically, because Clear Wing and Meteorburst Dragon have equal ATK, they would normally both be destroyed; however, thanks to Yugo and Yuya’s mind merges, it helps keep them on the field and doesn’t send them to the Graveyard. The two Yu-boys stared at each other with shocked amazement through their dragons that they were still around. Only one question still lingers: does that mean their Battle Phase is over…or was it just beginning? Regardless, Rin didn’t let that distract her. However. She was too distracted by Zuzu’s problem that she completely forgot to activate the Miracle’s Wake she set on her previous turn.

“And the first win goes to Gong Strong!” Nico announced.

Already? Wow, that really was fast. Everyone was too scared of what was happening to cheer out loud, so they resorted to applauding for Team Smiles’ first win. At least now the remaining team members can focus on claiming the championship title. Just as Gong and Crow were about to give friendly comments on their duel they had and how powerful their archetypes were, the former noticed something was seriously wrong with his Melodious friend.

“Since when can Zuzu XYZ Summon?” Gong asked.

“I’m not sure!” Rin exclaimed.

“It’s my fault.”

Gong, Rin, and Crow turned their heads around to see Lulu wheeling her way onto the Action Field and stopping at a not too far distance from Zuzu. Clearly, she felt guilty about what was happening to her Pendulum counterpart.

“Your fault?” Rin asked.

“Shortly before the tournament, Zuzu asked me to teach her how to XYZ Summon,” Lulu explained. “She wanted to keep up with Yuya.”

“Of course,” Gong said. “Gong remembers Zuzu askin’ him how to Synchro Summon for the same reason.”

“So I let her come over to my home for lessons,” Lulu continued. “But then she accidentally touched a necklace Yuto had on his nightstand. She was silent for a while, but when she snapped out of it, that card had appeared in her deck. According to Yuto, she apparently retrieved that card from an alternate timeline.”

Rin and Gong looked at each other and back at Lulu, baffled by what they were hearing. What was this alternate timeline that she was talking about? She then explained everything that Yuto told her during Zuzu’s turn.

“I think it’s like Back to the Future,” Lulu explained. “There was originally a straightforward timeline, but somewhere in the past, the timeline had a slight alteration, resulting in the timeline we live in.”

That was practically a simple way of describing the two timelines. Then again, in the three Duelists’ perspectives, it was kind of weird how the general plot from a popular 80s movie occurred in real life while being remotely different from it.

“Then what coulda cause that change?” Gong asked.

“Yuto said it was apparently when someone donated an Egyptian puzzle to a museum,” Lulu answered.

She remembered learning about that Egyptian museum exhibit and how a golden box containing pieces to the puzzle was in it weeks ago on the night of the LID dance. At that time, she was a tad bit concerned about these Shadow Games returning five millennia later; now, there was more to this donation than meets the eye, which she just told them about.

“I’m not really clear on why this caused the timeline to alter, but it has something to do with violent Action Duels trending,” Lulu continued.

“But then…” Rin said. “Why were we created?”

“Yuto said all eight counterparts were originally created as replacements for Duelists in the main timeline to prevent this timeline from collapsing,” Lulu answered.

All she knew was the Yu-Salad replacing each of the four legendary Duelists (from what Yuto saw from his necklace): Yuya substituted Yugi Muto, Yuri filled in for Jaden Yuki, Yugo took over for Yusei Fudo, and Yuto was put in Yuma Tsukamo’s place. However, she wasn’t sure who she and her counterparts were supposed to replace.

“Hold on,” Rin said. “Aren’t each of us dating each of Zarc’s counterparts?”

“Of course,” Lulu answered, blushing over thinking about her kind and noble boyfriend.

“What if we were meant to replace those Duelists’ girlfriends?” Rin guessed.

That is a great guess, but apparently, Yuto was informed on how the Duelist that Yuri replaced was bisexual, so there was a possibility of him having a male crush. Regardless, it still doesn’t change the fact that Celina stood in lieu of the Duelist’s love interest, whether or not they were male.

“That actually makes sense,” Lulu realized. “Then that means-”

“Will you just take your turn?!” Zuzu asked Rin, sounding impatient.

The tone of her voice startled Rin and she quickly apologized before carrying out the rest of her turn. She always knew Zuzu tended to be impatient, but she wondered if the Number’s corrupted grasp on her made it more frequent. At the same time, Lulu started questioning about her love for Yuto and pondered if it was real to begin with.

“Right,” Rin said. She glanced at her second face down card. “I activate Oasis of Dragon Souls to revive Winter Bell!”

An oasis manifested itself from the face-down Trap card and the watery dragons were brought to life as they splashed upward and designated an opening for Winter Bell to go through in exchange for her to become a Wyrm-Type monster. She lifted off from inside the oasis and soared back in the middle of Rin’s field.

“But that’s not all!” Rin continued. “I’ll spice things up with the Spell card Fusion Sage!” She held out her hand. “Sage of spells, grant my desires!” Her Polymerization card ejected from her deck and right as she grabbed it, her Duel Disk automatically shuffled it.

“Now I’ll play that same Polymerization card to fuse Winter Bell with the Glass Bell in my hand!” Rin declared. “Maiden of snow and ice, become one with the magic of crystals and shed your ragged disguise to reveal the princess within! I Fusion Summon Windwitch - Crystal Bell!”

Crystal Bell emerged from her giant icy containment once again as sparkles melted the ice and she twirled around to emphasize her true beauty that she has embraced these past few weeks.

“Now I activate Crystal Bell’s special ability!” Rin continued. “By using her discarded shell, she’ll use Glass Bell’s level for effect damage!”

Glass Bell was a Level 4, so Crystal Bell absorbed Winter Bell’s name and effects and then dealt 800 damage to Zuzu, dropping her Life Points to 1600 and depleting Wyvern of all her ATK due to the 1800 LP difference.

“Now Windwitch - Crystal Bell will attack your Synchro monster!” Rin said. “Sparkling Snow Gust!”

Crystal Bell fired a sparkly, snowy, windy attack at Wyvern; her plan is to destroy the defense position Synchro monster, and then by her next turn, she’ll get rid of Diamond Crab King. Surely, this will be enough to seal her victory and attempt to get Zuzu out of her corruption.

But during Zuzu’s turn, she didn’t draw a card. Instead, she closed her eyes and placed her hand on her deck. “A powerful Duelist can shape a duel,” she said. “Even create the very card she needs.” She opened her eyes, revealing her left eye had become bright yellow. “Go lucky-hand draw!”

She then drew a card from the top of her deck, leaving behind a trail of shimmering diamonds that followed. The card in her hand was engulfed in a spherical white light to reveal the very card that she needed. All around the arena, confusion rose from people again because they weren’t sure if this “lucky-hand draw” was another Skill.

“I activate the Spell card Melodious Rebirth!” Zuzu declared. “Allowing me to revive Ancient Sacred Wyvern, but treat her as a Melodious monster!”

Ancient Sacred Wyvern returned from the Graveyard as a Melodious monster and landed next to Diamond Crab King, with 0 ATK due to her effect.

“Next I’ll play Polymerization to fuse Ancient Sacred Wyvern with the Sonata in my hand!” Zuzu continued. “Harmonize your voices ‘til they form a perfect musical blend! I Fusion Summon! Make your entrance, Schuberta the Melodious Maestra!”

Her long, flowing, orange hair blew into the wind as Schuberta made an infinity symbol with her conductor stick before slashing said symbol in half and struck a pose, with her left arm shooting out as her left hand held the stick and her right hand making a fancy gesture towards her face. She was a Level 6 LIGHT Fairy-Type Fusion monster with 2400 ATK and 2000 DEF. During Zuzu or Rin’s turn, up to three cards in the Graveyard can be targeted and banished to give this card 200 ATK for each; however, this effect can only be used if it’s face up on the field.

“Now I activate Diamond Crab King’s special ability again!” Zuzu exclaimed. “So attack Crystal Bell!”

After using the second Overlay Unit and switching his ATK and DEF around, No. 52 carried out his trademark Thousand Diamond Shards attack to destroy Crystal Bell. Zuzu’s counter-strategy involves her getting rid of Crystal Bell and attacking Rin directly with her Fusion monster; to put it simply, she had found a way around her opponent’s strategy.

“But before you can use Crystal Bell’s ability, I banish that monster, Winter Bell, and Polymerization from your Graveyard!” Zuzu continued.

Rin yelled out, “What?!”

Shortly after getting destroyed, Crystal Bell, Winter Bell, and the vintage Polymerization left the Graveyard and were sent through a dark purple portal as they glowed light yellow to be banished, giving Schuberta an additional 600 ATK to raise her current ATL up to 3000. Rin was screwed at this point; she only had one Winter Bell and one Polymerization, and since they can’t be used, she was bound to lose the duel and Team Smiles will end up winning!

“Now Schuberta, attack Rin directly and end thi-” Zuzu started to say.

“Hold on a minute!”

The two girls turned around to hear where that familiar voice came from. They saw Declan in front of the audience as his face is projected on the monitor. He has something important to say, one that could truly change how the duel goes.

“I have done research on the cards Zuzu Boyle has used,” Declan said. “While Diamond Crab King is an actual card, the one Zuzu is using might be a fake, along with the card Melodious Rebirth.” He has thoroughly scrolled through the list of all cards used in the Melodious archetype and none of them were listed as Melodious Rebirth.

“But Diamond Crab King told me that’s what dueling is like where he’s from!” Zuzu pointed out. “He even gave me my new Skill!”

From within the audience stood a woman that only a selected few may recognize. The woman was none other than Ishizu, as seen by her long, straight, black hair, blue eyes, and the golden-encrusted emerald on her forehead. After witnessing what happened thus far in the two Energy Girls’ duel, she knew exactly the reason behind all this despite not having her Millennium Item.

“Ms. Boyle, for using illegal cards in a tournament, you are no longer able to take part in any official tournaments,” Declan stated. “Hand over your Duel Disk. Your dueling license has been revoked.”

“You don’t understand!” Zuzu cried out. “I was dueling properly! Why won’t you believe me?!”

Before the discussion could escalate any further, Clear Wing and Meteorburst Dragon returned and Yuya and Yugo cancelled their mind merges and returned to their normal bodies to help clarify this misunderstanding. “What’s goin’ on?” Yugo asked.

“Zuzu has used illegal cards in her duel,” Declan explained. “As of right now, her dueling license has been revoked.”

Suddenly, Yuya deactivated his Duel Disk and took it off. “Then you should revoke my license too,” he said.

“Hmm?” Declan questioned.

“When I first Pendulum Summoned during my duel against the Sledgehammer, the cards and strategies I used didn’t exist,” Yuya explained. “So if Zuzu using illegal methods despite her Duel Disk accepting her cards counts as cheating, then you should ban me as well.”

Yuya does have a fair point. Back when he defeated the Sledgehammer, he had received mixed reception because of him Pendulum Summoning. People had initially accused him of being a cheater and they had every right to call him that. They had never seen a Pendulum Summon before and thought it was an illegal move, so he should have been banned from dueling after his victory. But why wasn’t he? Why was he allowed to Pendulum Summon despite the already subsided controversy? This was something he found unfair; he was still able to duel up until now after pulling an “illegal” summon, but Zuzu was going to be banned for using a fake card? What the hell?! The simple explanation coming out of Yuya’s mouth was basically calling Declan out of his usage of the tournament rules and referring to him as a hypocrite.

Declan’s eye slightly twitched. “Are you threatening me?” he asked.

“Sure, let’s call it that,” Yuya answered, showing no fear. “So what’s it gonna be, Declan?”

Everyone sat and stood all over LID, stunned and silent at the threat Yuya made. But Declan was even more surprised.

“Your words…” Declan said. “I feel as if I heard them before…”

He wasn’t sure where he heard them from, but he was staring to realize that Yuya may be right. Normally, Pendulum Summoning would be considered illegal at that time yet it became part of the tournament rules. He allowed Yuya to Pendulum Summon because he knew it was essential in his fight against Duel Academy during the Interdimensional War.

“Very well,” Declan said. “Ms. Boyle, you are allowed to resume your duel, but I will have to inspect your cards and newfound Skill afterwards.”

With all said and done, Yuya and Zuzu resumed their duels to try and give their team the championship name.

“As I was saying,” Zuzu said. “Schuberta, attack Rin directly!”

“Not so fast!” Rin exclaimed. “I activate the Trap card Quaking Mirror Force to put both of your monsters out of commission!”

Schuberta and Diamond Crab King were switched from attack position to face-down defense position and will remain that way until the end of the duel. As a result, Zuzu’s left eye returned to its normal periwinkle blue color while the number 52 stopped glowing and faded away from her right palm and the dark aura ceased to emit. Did Quaking Mirror Force result in the Number card not being able to corrupt Zuzu?

“Wow…” Zuzu said, her voice returning to normal. “That’s pretty clever. I guess I underestimated you.”

“'Course you did,” Rin answered. She drew a card. “Now by sending my third Ice Bell to the Graveyard, I’m able to summon The Tricky!”

Swirls of dark-colored light came together in the center of Rin’s field before shining brightly to reveal The Tricky, a Level 5 WIND Spellcaster-Type monster with 2000 ATK and 1200 DEF. This card can be special summoned from the person’s hand if they discard one card. If Rin was going to win, she may need to revert back to her original Synchro strategy.

“Now I’ll summon Windwitch - Glass Bell, which I’ll tune with The Tricky!” Rin continued. “Slither your way to victory and crush all who stand in your way! I Synchro Summon Mist Wurm!”

Rubble and debris exploded from the Action Field’s floor as Mist Wurm slithered and made his debut. He was a Level 9 WIND Thunder-Type Synchro monster with 2500 ATK and 1500 DEF. If he was Synchro Summoned, Rin can target up to three cards Zuzu controls and have them return to her hand, and she knew which ones she’s choosing.

“Mist Wurm’s special ability activates!” Rin exclaimed. “Your two monsters are automatically returned to your extra deck!”

The two face-down monsters glowed as they vanished from the field and returned to their card forms to head back to the Extra Deck. Zuzu was amazed.

“I didn’t know you had that card,” Zuzu remarked.

“I’ve had Mist Wurm since I was younger,” Rin explained. “He’s the reason why Yugo has a hard time defeating me.”

Speaking of defeat, it was time for Rin to seal her victory once and for all in her winning Battle Phase. “Mist Wurm, attack Zuzu directly and end this duel!” she exclaimed. “Blustery Body Gust!”

Mist Wurm rapidly crawled and lept along the floor towards Zuzu as he spewed out purple gas from his pores, removing the rest of her Life Points and giving Team Turbo a win.

“And with that, Rin of Team Turbo has earned the first win for her team!” Nico announced.

Rin set foot off her Duel Runner and took off her helmet. “That was a fun duel,” she said, approaching Zuzu.

“I guess…” Zuzu replied, feeling a bit bad about what nearly happened to her.

“Aw, don’t be like that!” Rin said. “Declan said he might work out a way to make sure your dueling strategies are legal, like what he did with Pendulum Summoning.”

As she finished that statement, stars began to shimmer and sparkle in the air, followed by smiling planets and galaxies fading into existence all around the Action Field. Zuzu and Rin looked over to see Yuya activating Smile Universe as he special summoned Harmonizing Magician, Timegazer Magician, Performapal Whim Witch, Nobledragon Magician, and Xiangsheng Magician. He then had his arm spread wide and his eyes closed, puzzling Yugo. Why would he use that Spell card to bring out five monsters—including Harmonizing Magician—and then act as if he’s bracing for an impact?

“You alright?” Yugo called out.

“You got me,” Yuya answered, his eyes still closed and not changing position. “I don’t have any good cards in my hand and you took out my best monsters.”

What was he talking about? All his special summoned Pendulum monsters have useful effects that he can use to his advantage. So of course, Yugo asked about that.

“I can’t,” Yuya answered, softly smiling as he recalled how he tricked Zarc into playing that card. “When I use Smile Universe, I can’t summon any more monsters, all of the summoned monsters have their abilities negated, and I can’t attack.”

Then there was its other ability. Yugo gains LP for the combined ATK of all the special summoned monsters; Harmonizing, Timegazer, Nobledragon, and Xiangsheng Magician have 0, 1200, 700, and 500 ATK respecitvely while Whim Witch has 800 ATK, so the Synchro Durlist will have his Life Points increased by 3200. But the blonde-banged Duelist was more surprised with what Yuya was trying to say.

“I… I won?” Yugo asked.

“Go ahead,” Yuya said. “Finish me off.”

A huge grin appeared on Yugo’s face. “Alright!” he exclaimed. “Speedroids Passinglider and Dominobutterfly, use your Pendulum powers to bring back Clear Wing Fast Dragon!”

The Pendulum “portal” opened up and Clear Wing Fast Dragon zoomed out of it and onto the field. Now that he has two Clear Wings, Yugo prepared to activate his Skill.

“I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!” Yugo exclaimed as he revved up his Duel Runner. His mind focused on Clear Wing Synchro Dragon’s as they both tuned with each other to create a humanized Synchro Summon. With the Skill completed, Synchro Dragon and Fast Dragon went in for the attack with Synchro Dragon attacking Harmonizing Magician and Fast Dragon attacking Xiangsheng Magician. They both dealt 2500 and 2000 damage for a total of 4500 damage, which was more than enough for Yugo to deplete the rest of Yuya’s Life Points.

“My goodness!” Melissa exclaimed. “Looks like Yugo ends up pullin’ the final win for his team!”

“Precisely,” Nico agreed. “Team Turbo is the tournament winner!”

Everyone grew completely ecstatic as they stood up, clapped, cheered, and applauded for the winning team. Yugo kept turning his head and body around in amazement to see the faces of fans rooting for him. He smiled wide and took off his helmet, his blonde whispy bangs moving slightly.

“Yugo, we did it!” Rin exclaimed, tackling Yugo for a hug. “We won!”

As of now, they didn’t care if their dream was to win the Friendship Cup because they won their first ever tournament together and that was enough to be considered a dream come true for them.

The couple was still embraced in a loving hug even when Crow and Shinji met up with them. “We spent years practicing for the Friendship Cup,” Crow said. “And look at us now!”

“Not bad, Rin,” Shinji said. “Guess Yugo wasn’t kidding when he said you’re pretty powerful.”

“Correction,” Yugo said as Rin left kisses on his face. “RinRin’s pretty _and_ powerful.”

As the team celebrated, Zuzu noticed a monster card that was in Yuya’s hand: Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon. He said Yugo took out all his best monsters yet he could have used it to win, but why didn’t he?

“Yuya, why didn’t you use that card?” Zuzu asked, noticing Yuya also had Odd-Eyes Advent in his hand.

“Because I realized sometimes the best way to get people to smile is by losing,” Yuya answered.

Back before the eight counterparts’ mind began to merge, he remembered Yugo getting upset about how he felt it was always about Yuya and how no one bothered to pay attention to the Synchro Duelist who grew up in the Commons’ orphanage. He knew it was mostly Jean-Michel Roget’s fault for putting him in a tough spot yet he couldn’t help but feel bad for him. Today was basically the day where he gave Yugo his fame just so he can be happy because he understood that there are other ways to make people smile than just winning; sometimes, losing can be rewarding if you succeed in bringing joy to your opponent.

Zuzu let out a small laugh. “You sneak,” she said.

“Yeah, but you still love me,” Yuya replied with a wink.

Back with Team Turbo, Yugo and Rin shared yet another kiss with each other; however, it wasn’t casual. In fact, it was their first real kiss as shown when he was dipping her. She was initially surprised, but ultimately she gave in, lifting her leg as she caressed his cheek as his fingers intertwined into her wavy green hair.

A few seconds later, the kiss ended as Yugo helped Rin stand to her full height, still embraced in each others’ arms. They remained like this even when Declan and Aichi approached the team.

“Congratulations Team Turbo,” Aichi said. “You won the first-ever Team Duel Tournament.”

“These medals are proof of your winnings,” Declan said. He was about to put the medals around each teammates’ necks…

“Not so fast!”

Everyone glanced at where the voice came from, but only those that lived in and went to the Synchro Dimension knew exactly who it belonged to: the former Duel King of New Domino City and the Master of Faster himself, Jack Atlas.

“Hello Mr. Atlas,” Declan said. “What brings you here?”

“I recognize most of Team Turbo from the last Friendship Cup,” Jack explained. “And the Windwitch girl must be that Rin person Yugo constantly talked about. So as a reward for winning the tournament, I would like to suggest an after-party tonight to celebrate the team’s first of many wins.”

Astonishment and surprise filled Team Turbo up like they watched a satisfying ending to a movie. “You serious?” Crow asked.

“Of course I am serious,” Jack said. “Starting today, you four are officially part of the Topsiders.”

Yugo and Rin couldn’t believe what they were hearing; they were now going to live in the Tops? They got highly ecstatic after hearing Jack make that declaration because their dream has truly come true. Again, it may not be the Friendship Cup, but the former king was treating it like it was in which the winner becomes a Topsider. Or in this case, winners.

“We did it,” Rin said, tears forming in her eyes. “We’re finally Topsiders!”

“Yes!” Yugo cheered. He lifted up Rin for a hug. “We’re livin’ the big life!”

“The party will be held in the New Domino section of the city,” Jack explained. “I expect everyone attending to dress appropriately.”

It was questionably heartfelt and proud to know how much the eight counterparts have changed since the ARC-V blood separation. As you already know, Yugo and Rin—as well as Crow and Shinji—are now living the rest of their lives as Topsiders. Yuri and Celina have gone from bitter rivals to Fusion lovebirds after spending some time apart. Despite the challenges Yuto and Lulu may be facing in regards to their dreams and the different social classes, their love for each other has proven countless times that it’ll always be unbreakable. Yuya and Zuzu may have gotten back to their regular lives, but much like their Fusion counterparts, they have also started a newfound relationship along the way. They have all made new friends, met familiar faces, encountered rivals, and more importantly, they have changed lives for themselves and their loved ones. This wasn’t the end of their old lives, but the start of their brand new lives, beginning after the end of the first ever Team Duel Tournament…


	25. The After-Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the first-ever Team Duel Tournament over, Jack Atlas decides to host a party to celebrate the winning team. During the party, small revelations are made, signaling the beginning of the counterparts' new lives.

Later that night, in the New Domino City section, the Topsiders were getting ready for the Team Duel Tournament after-party to celebrate Team Turbo’s victory, including the winning teammates themselves. Yesterday, shortly after the Fusion Parasite was removed from her ear, Rin had made a promise to Yugo on how he was going to wear the handmade dress he made for her and she wasn’t letting this opportunity slip on by.

“Seriously?” a Topsider seamstress asked. “You want to wear that old rag?”

“A friend made it for me,” Rin explained, holding the handmade dress. “I know it’s not fancy, but I like cute and comfortable outfits.”

“Oh great,” the seamstress said in disdain. “You must be that girl Akiza talks about.”

“Akiza?” Rin asked. “As in, Akiza Izinski?”

“Of course,” the seamstress answered. “Despite being born a Topsider, Akiza preferred to hang out among the Commons. She currently owns a donation center in that section.”

Rin already knew that because she enjoys shopping for clothes there and was close friends with Akiza. “I visit her donation center a lot for new clothes,” the green-haired girl explained. “She even gives me tips for hair and makeup, although I didn’t know she’s actually a Topsider.”

“Well, if you really are a good friend of Akiza’s, I’ll suppose you can wear this…ragged old dress,” the seamstress said.

Meanwhile, Yugo was at a barber shop getting a haircut. That’s right. An _actual_ haircut. …Much to his dismay, of course. This was the style he grew up with all his life even after he combed out his bands during the semifinals, so it seemed normal to him.

“No way!” Yugo protesting, clutching the top of his head. “I’ve had this hairstyle my whole life! Why should I change it?!”

“Because I was told you wanted the full Topsider treatment,” a Topsider barber explained. “And that includes fixing those unruly locks.”

Yugo knew he wanted the full Topsider treatment, but he wasn’t expecting something like this. His natural and perfectly-coiffed hairstyle was definite proof that he never understood why he has to get a haircut. He spent his whole life trying to not die hungry. He never had time to worry about his hair getting too long.

“I don’t know…” Yugo said, tugging on a dark blue lock of his hair. “Do I really need a trim?”

“Yes, you do,” the barber answered. “Now please sit in the chair.”

Yugo took a deep breath. “Alright,” he said, sitting in the provided chair. He closed his eyes. “Do your worst.”

Some time later, the TDT after-party located at the Duel Palace began and everyone who participated were invited along with their friends and families. They all wore their best suits and dresses, made their hair presentable and elegant-looking, and donned their matching accessories; in other words, they were dressed nicely enough to “fit in” with the Topsiders since they were known to discriminate Commons (although wealthy people from the Heartland City section were able to blend in easily).

Despite not being a dress person, Celina wore a gray, strapless dress that went past her knees with a black ribbon tied around where her hips were, a black bracelet on her right wrist where her old bracelet used to be, and a pair of heeled sandals tied with black ribbons. Lulu pinned up her dark purple hair and adorned in an aquamarine, floor-length dress with silver sparkles in the breast area and around the waist along with diamond flats. Zuzu wore her pink hair down as she arrived in a white, knee-length dress that exposed her chest and was decorated with green vines and bushes of white, yellow, and red roses with matching sandals. As for the guys, Yuya wore a silk black suit, Yuto wore his black formal suit, and Yuri wore a dark purple tuxedo with coat tails and white gloves.

“Uh… Don’t you think you’re overdoing it?” Yuya asked Lulu.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lulu answered. “This is one of my more casual gowns.”

She was right; since she lives in an elite environment, she can distinguish high class attire on whether or not it’s casual. Besides, she has a lot of fancier dresses back at home. Yuto can also agree with her response even if he didn’t have that same ability as her.

“Oh, don’t you worry,” Lulu said, looking a bit sad. “In a few years, you’ll be able to tell the difference between silk suits and cloth suits.”

Even since the duel where Zuzu got corrupted by No. 52: Diamond Crab King, Lulu couldn’t stop thinking about the alternate timeline. It was kind of depressing to learn the sole reason she existed was to prevent this timeline from collapsing and maintain its balance. Who was she supposed to replace? Was her love with Yuto even real to begin with? Was she more than just a replacement and actually an individual? She didn’t want these questions bothering her, so for now, she decided to focus on celebrating the after-party.

Elsewhere, Team Turbo were just about done getting ready for tonight. Crow and Shinji simply wore suits because they didn’t want to go all out like their friends. Rin and Yugo have dreamt about living their lives among the Topsiders since they were younger and they wanted to take full advantage of it. Rin wore the dress Yugo made for her with sapphire flats and had her hair pinned up with her side tails curled. However, someone was missing and they knew exactly who this someone was.

“Where’s Yugo?” Crow asked. “He should have been here right now.”

“Your friend is running a bit late due to personal reasons,” Jack explained.

“It was probably about getting a haircut,” Rin guessed.

“No, I said it was because of personal reasons,” Jack repeated.

“I know Yugo,” Rin said. “I know that moron has issues about getting haircuts.”

She was right. She has known Yugo for a long time and knew he never was a big fan of getting haircuts. But as if on cue, a certain someone finally showed up.

“Sorry I’m late,” Yugo said. “I think those Topsiders overdid it- Why are you guys lookin’ at me like that?”

His blonde bangs were now trimmed and brushed forward and his dark blue locks have been cut short. For tonight, he wore a white suit instead of his usual Turbo Duelist outfit. Unbeknownst to him, his teammates were staring at him because this was the first time he looked formal and clean, especially in Rin’s eyes since she was having a sparkly vision about him.

“Yugo…” Rin said, completely in awe. “You look so handsome!”

“You actually like this monkey suit and stupid haircut?” Yugo asked. He clearly didn’t like his new look, everything from his haircut to the suit. It wasn’t much his style and it made him feel insecure about it, which Rin took notice on.

“No, she’s right,” Shinji disagreed. “You look pretty nice.”

“Yeah,” Crow added. “You look like a real Topsider.”

Yugo was still skeptical on their reactions, so he wanted to know if there was a room with a mirror in it to see for himself. He did find a full-length mirror, but he wasn’t pleased with what he saw.

The Speedroid user let out a sad laugh. “I don’t even recognize my own reflection anymore,” he admitted.

Seeing his reflection made him realize that he was right; his hair was too short and he was actually wearing a suit. He was practically a new person and he didn’t like it.

Rin walked up to Yugo. “Don’t say stuff like that,” she said. “You do look different, but don’t let that bother you. You’re still my goofy moron under all that Topsider stuff.”

As Yugo turned around, he noticed how Rin dolled herself up for the big night, showing that she has easily adapted to her new life and how she was comfortable with it. His smile became happier as he planted a kiss on her lips.

“Thanks RinRin,” Yugo said.

“You’re welcome,” Rin replied. She held her boyfriend’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “Now let’s show the world the new us.”

The two caught up with Crow and Shinji as Jack escorted them to the Duel Palace’s ballroom where the party was held to present them to the partygoers. As they all entered, everyone applauded for New Domino’s newest Topsiders.

“Everyone, this is Team Turbo,” Jack announced. “Starting today, they are officially Topsiders and dueling professionals.”

Dueling professionals?! Already?! How is that even possible?! Team Turbo all kept their surprise to as subtle as they could for the Topsiders’ sake, but deep down, Yugo and Rin were super ecstatic because they thought they were living in a dream where their childhood plans for the future were coming true. The two squeezed each other’s hands, happy with this reveal.

“Of course, I will have to train them as their personal manager,” Jack added. “But they will still take part in official dueling tournaments.”

Much like earlier today, he was applying the winning rules of the Friendship Cup to the Team Duel Tournament where they’re not only given access to live in the Tops, but were also starting a career as pro Turbo Duelists. Needless to say, this was the best thing that has ever happened to Yugo and Rin.

After Jack gave out the rest of his introductory speech, the after-party had officially begun as participators, friends, families, and loved ones communicated with one another, ate and drank some of the Tops’ finest cuisines and beverages, and got the chance to interact with Team Turbo. So far, everything was going well as Yuya socialized with his parents and closely knit group of friends—including his counterparts—while also trying to get an understanding of how fancy parties like this work. It was bad enough he had a small hassle with the Obsidians’ robot maids, so he wanted to be sure how the food and drinks tastes while also using the right amount of proper etiquette skills; him almost getting that full body pampering virtually gave him an experience of taking part in high class events. But at least that experience helped him with how to style his hair for those events, since his tomato-colored locks were currently combed back with a small ponytail.

“Mato!”

Yuya turned his around to see baby Riley in Moon Shadow’s arms as she held her free arm out in the direction to where he was, with her other arm holding a small C/C Critical Eye plush. She was clearly happy to see him several weeks after Zarc’s soul was cleansed of the darkness.

“Moon Shadow?” Yuya asked. “What are you doing with Riley?”

“Declan informed me that the young Akaba was able to retain all of her memories,” Moon Shadow explained. “So because she also remembers her past abuse, he thought it would be better for my brother and I to raise her.”

“Mato!” Riley repeated.

“That is all she can say at this point,” Moon Shadow clarified.

Yuya instantly knew what Riley meant whenever she said “Mato”. It was obviously a nickname she gave to him because of how his hair normally resembles a tomato and he thought it was sweet and appealing.

“She remembers me?” Yuya asked, letting Riley grab his pinky.

“Of course,” Moon Shadow answered. “I have also made plans to enroll her in the You Show Duel School once she completes her Ninjitsu training.”

Ninjitsu training? Was she going to be a ninja? Yuya was informed on how she will receive the same training Moon Shadow and Sun Shadow did at the Fuma Clan Duel School before she enrolls at You Show. Basically, she was going to be the first Ninjitsu Dueltainer in Duel Monsters history.

“That’s pretty cool,” Yuya remarked. “But what about her C/C deck?”

“Declan instructed me to give it to her once she is at the proper age,” Moon Shadow explained. “But her training will be different since a majority of her monsters are weapons. She will learn how to wield those monsters in duels.”

The plan was to have Critical Eye as her primary weapon because of its ability to turn into the different Fusion, Synchro, and XYZ monsters in her extra deck, so once she has masters the techniques of wielding and attacking with her C/C monsters, she’ll transfer to You Show to integrate what she’ll learn in Ninjitsu with Dueltaining.

“Then I hope she grows up to become an amazing Ninjitsu Dueltainer,” Yuya said.

Meanwhile, in contrast to Riley’s future, things may not be looking too bright for Lulu’s, mainly because she was still sad about what Yuto explained earlier during the finals. She still couldn’t prevent herself from questioning if her love with her boyfriend was real at all; before the Invasion and after the separation, she had lived a normal high class life in Heartland with her family and boyfriend until just recently. If they were meant to replace this Yuma person and his love interest, does that mean their relationship was a replacement as well?

So when Lulu went to excuse herself for some hors d'oeuvres (which were far more delicious than the ones she ate at previous events), she was confronted by Aura. “I know what you’re thinking,” the younger girl said. “It’s a bad idea.”

“What ever do you mean?” Lulu asked.

Aura held up her crystal apple. “You want to break up with Yuto,” she stated.

She wasn’t wrong; Lulu felt like it could be the only way to truly find herself instead of just substituting a girl who harbored feelings for Yuma Tsukumo. Because of her previous encounter with Declan and her strong beliefs in fate and destiny, Aura practically knew Zarc and Ray’s reincarnations were meant to be together.

“You shouldn’t,” Aura said. She held up the card Arcana Force VI - The Lovers. “You and Yuto Osaku were destined to be together regardless of why you were created.”

“But is my love for him real?” Lulu asked. “And does he genuinely love me as well?”

“Of course,” Aura answered. “I can tell you and Yuto are meant to be together. Your soul becomes brighter when you’re with him.”

This piqued Lulu’s interest a little; it was true that they did felt like they belong together, but was it really true? Did destiny knew about this all along regardless of the truth about the alternate timeline? She still wasn’t completely sure about what Aura just stated, so the latter decided to show her crystal apple as proof; she used it to check out what was wrong with Yuya back in the Arc League Championship when she encountered the cousins’ souls and Zarc’s darkness. Hopefully, Yuto’s soul does end up illuminate a brighter color whenever he’s nearby his girlfriend. Before they knew it, he walked over to where the two girls were, prompting Aura to look up at him. Speak of the devil, she thought.

“There you are, Lulu,” Yuto said. “I was wondering where you went.”

Through the crystal apple, the two souls started to glow brighter as he walked closer to her. It was exactly what Aura predicted what would happen. “See?” the red-haired girl asked. “You two were meant to be together! Don’t fight it!”

“Don’t fight what?” Yuto asked.

Lulu looked a bit hurt. “I…” She took a deep breath. “I think we should break up.”

Yuto blinked. “Very well,” he said. “If that’s really what you want, I’ll allow it.”

“What?!” Aura asked. “But you two are soulmates!”

Yuto closed his eyes. “There’s no point arguing with Lulu Obsidian,” he said, looking away from her. “She’s too stubborn.”

Stubborn. That word echoed in her head just as he finished his sentence. A word that others know it defined her. It helped her take on Yuri back at Heartland City. It pulled her through the back surgery she had to remove the spinal plates. Even so, Yuto still respected her wishes like the true gentleman that he is, but before he could head back, Lulu recalled on why she fell in love with him in the first place.

“You’re the miracle child,” Lulu said.

“Huh?” Aura asked.

Lulu reached up and placed her hand on Yuto’s cheek. “You’re the miracle child who was created by angels,” she repeated. “They wanted to create a person so perfect that everyone admired him. So when the timeline created you, those same angels decided to change you into the prophesied miracle child.” She started to caress his face. “They sprinkled moon dust in your hair to make it very soft and planted starlights into your eyes so they always sparkle.”

Yuto automatically recognized what she was talking about as he opened his eyes. Although they now have Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon’s golden eye color, it didn’t change the fact that they were beautiful on him. “Lulu…”

“So I do love you,” Lulu said. “But I’m not sure if those feelings are my own or not.”

Own feelings… It rang a bell to Yuto…almost as if he’s been to a similar situation before… Correction: he has been into a similar situation before and he understood exactly what she was talking about.

“I think I have a way to help,” Yuto said. He glanced at the marking on her heart. “But we need some privacy.”

Lulu looked down on where her marking was and acknowledged on what he meant; it does seem like a smart idea to get some privacy for whatever his method of helping is. Aura obliged on his wishes as he walked through the crowded ballroom to find a room, with his girlfriend wheeling on his tail. They didn’t expect this many people to be at the after-party, but only 1% of New Domino City does consist of Topsiders, so they should have seen that coming.

Ultimately the XYZ counterparts were able to find privacy on an enclosed balcony. “A few weeks ago, I also questioned my existence,” Yuto said. “I wasn’t sure if I dueled because I wanted to or because I replaced a Duelist from the other timeline.”

“You seem alright now,” Lulu said.

“Only because I was able to get a glimpse of who I replaced,” Yuto explained. “I also saw who you replaced.”

“You did?” Lulu asked.

Yuto nodded in response. “And I think I can show you,” he continued. “During the tournament finals, I think I saw how Yuya and Zuzu were able to communicate through a mind merge.” He lifted up his hand. “I could try the same thing with your permission.”

Lulu looked down again at where her marking was; it was located near her heart, which was above her young, teenage breasts. She immediately knew why he asked permission. He never touched her near that area before.

“It’s okay,” Lulu said. “I’ll allow you to touch my marking.”

She then slid her arms through the straps of her dress before pulling the top part down, exposing her upper chest where her En Birds marking was. Yuto gently placed his hand near her heart, causing her to softly gasp from the contact.

“Are you alright?” Yuto asked, slowly withdrawing his hand.

“I’m fine,” Lulu answered, blushing heavily. “Please continue.”

Yuto began to try out Yuya and Zuzu’s newfound mind-channeling ability as he focused his thoughts on where her marking was. After a few minutes of deep concentration, a blue glow illuminated from underneath his hand as their minds started to channel with each other.

“Yuma, quit being such a moron!”

Lulu shot her eyes open as she heard her alternate self say that exclamation; Yuto’s hand was still on her chest, so the channel wasn’t broken, but hearing her yell like that caught her off guard. Based on what she saw through his memories, the girl had orangey-hazel eyes and green, shoulder-length hair with two light green bangs and tied into a bun with a light red ribbon on her left side. She wore a white, shoulder-sleeved T-shirt with a yellow-striped decal and yellow edges along the sleeves with small yellow bows, a pink choker with a pink heart attacked to a beaded chain, a pink miniskirt with a brown belt, black, knee-length socks with gray linings on the top, and white shoes.

Yuto replayed all of his memories of that girl. To Lulu’s surprise, the girl wasn’t even a Duelist! She did play Duel Monsters, but only rarely and she wasn’t very good at it. If that wasn’t enough, her relationship with the Duelist Yuto replaced was more like Yugo and Rin’s relationship.

Some time later, Yuto ended the mind merge, removing his hand from Lulu’s marking as it stopped glowing. “You see?” the eggplant-haired teen asked. “You’re nothing like the person you replaced.”

As Lulu put her dress back on, she pieced together that he may be right; Yuma and this Tori Meadows girl may be XYZ users, but their personalities were nothing like them and mirrored Yugo and Rin, especially given the fact that both girls have green hair and hazel eyes.

“That girl didn’t seem very ladylike,” Lulu pointed out.

She was right. She also didn’t understand why Tori fell in love with Yuma despite being childhood friends. Yuto was much more gentlemanly and knightly than the Legendary Duelist and Lulu was practically unstoppable thanks to her Lyriluscs, but it was because dueling was a requirement for her dream of becoming an actress.

But that wasn’t all. Yuto is incredibly handsome. Although both boys had spiky hairstyles and dressed casually, Yuma had tanner skin and his clothes were a lot brighter than Yuto’s dark-colored clothes. He also behaved much like Yugo: energetic, loud, short-tempered, and even rude at times, but cares deeply about his friends; Yuto, on the other hand, was noble, chivalrous, kind, loyal, and normally calmer. The two have been dueling since they were kids, but Yuma initially wasn’t the best at it and got better with his skills thanks to some kind of alien being, whereas Yuto uses his Phantom Knights to reflect how they made him into a completely new person.

As for the girls, Lulu has much longer hair and wears dresses fit for a high class environment when compared to Tori’s shorter hair and casual clothes. She was also sweet, polite, feminine, loyal, and kind-hearted, but also brave, confident, and especially stubborn; Tori was pretty much Rin’s personality with her own quirks: cheerful, protective, fiercely loyal, sometimes easily annoyed at Yuma’s antics, and also worries about him and his safety. As Lulu saw in Yuto’s memories, Tori wasn’t good at duels as she had lost all her duels, but she does have the capability of XYZ Summoning and even Chaos XYZ Summoning when under a mind control spell; this was a strong contrast from the Lyrilusc user who demonstrated herself to be powerful with her cards, even able to pull off a OTK with Assembled Nightingale.

“Besides, I don’t understand why she would fall for that guy,” Lulu said, reaching up to place her hand on Yuto’s cheek. “You’re far more better-looking than him.”

Her compliment was a clear indicator that the reason she fell in love with Yuto wasn’t because of the alternate timeline. It was because of how handsome, cute, protective, loving, and gold-hearted he is. To her, he’s perfect in every way. Even though she was immobilized in a wheelchair, he leaned forward towards her to give her a kiss on the lips. It was brief, but it showed unspoken emotions.

“Shall we head back inside?” Yuto asked.

“Of course, sweet knight,” Lulu answered. “You should try the hors d'oeuvres. They’re far more delicious than the ones I had during previous parties.”

“I’m not sure what that is, but I like the sound of it,” Yuto replied.

With the couple now resolved the timeline issue and officially not breaking up, they returned to the main ballroom as Lulu explained what hors d'oeuvres are. At the same time, Zuzu has been talking to Byron Arclight about the Number card and this “lucky-hand draw” Skill she pulled during her duel against Rin. She wanted to speak with him because she saw different versions of him and his sons in the vision from the Millennium Necklace and felt confused on how her new card and Skill were considered normal in the alternate Heartland City yet they almost disqualified her from the tournament and ended her dueling career.

“So you never had this Skill before?” Byron asked.

Zuzu shook her head ‘no’ in response. “It’s Diamond Crab King,” she explained, showing the card to Byron. “Ever since I somehow obtained him, he’s been giving me these weird powers. I think it’s similar to how Yuya communicates with his dragon.”

“How fascinating,” Byron remarked. “The XYZ monster Diamond Crab King is considered common among XYZ Duelists, but this variation is decorated in alien text.”

“What alien text?” Zuzu asked. “It says it can only be destroyed by other Number cards.”

Byron informed Zuzu about how the Number cards are written in this alien text that apparently only those who wield them can understand. “I also heard about this 'lucky-hand draw’ Skill,” he continued. “It seems you now have alien blood inside your body thanks to that card.”

Alien blood? Does that means she has become a human-alien hybrid of some sort? “Is there any way I can control it?” Zuzu asked.

“I think I can come up with a way to help neutralize the Number’s influence on you without you becoming completely corrupted,” Byron answered. “How do you feel about bracelets?”

Zuzu responded that she was completely fine with having bracelets and mentioned how she used to have one since she was a baby thanks to Ray splitting herself into four along with Zarc and the Original Dimension. “My wrist has been feeling a bit bare ever since Leo…” she started to say.

Byron knew exactly what she was going to say because he was among the civilians of all four dimensions who witnessed the Original Dimension’s return and the eight counterparts returning with the boys having their ace dragons’ eye colors and the girls bearing the markings of the Natural Energy Cards somewhere on their bodies. He took note on the En Flowers marking on her right cheek.

“If you want, I could harness the power of your marking into your new bracelet,” Byron offered.

“You can?” Zuzu asked.

“Of course,” Byron answered. “But I will need a few skin samples from you.”

She stared at her right arm where her Standard Dimension bracelet used to be. A blood sample was no big deal since it was just a simple prick on the finger, but she’s never had a skin sample before. What is it like? How does it work? …Does it hurt? Whatever’s the case, it would feel nice to wear a new bracelet with a power-controlling ability.

“Thank you, Dr. Arclight,” Zuzu said.

Meanwhile, Yuri and Celina were spending some time together, and needless to say, he was disappointed about the after-party. Sure people are dressed fancy and have proper etiquette and manners like he does, but there was something about it that didn’t sit well with him at all.

“I don’t understand,” Yuri said. “If this is a formal party, where is the orchestra and dance floor?”

“Were you expecting some kind of grand ball?” Celina sarcastically asked.

“Precisely!” Yuri answered. “Back in Duel Academy, all Duelists of every rank were allowed to attend grand galas. I was hoping these Topsiders had similar celebrations.”

Celina internally cringed as she remembered those events occurring _every year_. There were honestly painful for her because of how everyone took part in such fancy parties; within her mind, she was thinking that she actually might be preferring the Topsiders’ parties over Duel Academy’s galas.

“Those parties are part of why I transferred to Paradise Prep,” Celina said. “At least I’m not forced to wear over-the-top poofy dresses and painful shoes.”

Yuri let out a gasp. “But Miss Celina, those parties are the best part of Duel Academy!” he argued. “Can you imagine dancing lovingly with a beautiful person as romantic music is provided by a professional orchestra?”

“Compared to Paradise Prep school dances that have hired DJs and have no strict dress codes, I would rather attend one of those than those Duel Academy balls,” Celina replied.

What was she talking about? Why on earth would she make that preference? It confused Yuri because he remembers what happened yesterday at the tournament during the preliminaries. They were dressed formally (obviously not over-the-top), slowly becoming love-struck with each other, and finally danced all around the Moonlit Ball Action Field. After all that, she enjoyed the dances held at Paradise Prep more than those galas? Before he could respond, an idea popped into his head. Well, idea was a bit of an understatement because it was more of an…"experiment".

“But Miss Celina,” Yuri said, his glove-covered hand holding her bare hand. “What about what happened yesterday during the tournament preliminaries?”

“It was a fluke,” Celina answered. “You looked…” She briefly glanced at him. “…just like that and I lost control of my thoughts.”

Yuri let out a small laugh. “I see…” he said. “Then I suppose what happened afterwards was also a fluke.”

Was it a fluke? It was shown and proven yesterday through the Center Duel Field’s monitor that the two enjoyed their kiss after the dance, but what does this discussion even mean? Are formal events not Celina’s cup of tea? Does she only dislike them it they go extreme with the fashion choices?

“What if you were to attend one of Duel Academy’s galas now?” Yuri asked, guiding Celina towards…somewhere.

“Yeah right,” Celina replied. “I wouldn’t have someone to dance with.”

Yuri stopped walking and faced Celina. “What about me?” he asked, placing his free hand on her waist. “I could be your dance partner.”

Celina quickly caught onto what Yuri said; he was taking her out to dance! This is the second time she has been tricked by Yuri and it’s only been a few weeks since he set her up on a date with him. Next time, she better come prepared for whatever sneaky tricks he has up his sleeve.

“What’s going on?” Celina demanded.

“Oh, hush,” Yuri said. “This is a private room. No one will disturb us.” He briefly lifted his hand from her waist to snap his fingers.

As if by magic, the lights turned on to brighten the empty private room, indicating that there are no light switches but ones that responds to snaps and claps. There was definitely plenty of space for the two to dance. However, Celina looked more tensed.

“What ever is wrong?” Yuri asked.

“You’re doing it again,” Celina answered.

Yuri looked a bit surprised, then a bit hurt. “Doing what?” he innocently asked.

“This!” Celina said. “Doing this stuff to make me act like a girl!”

“But isn’t that what you are?” Yuri pointed out. “A stunning young lady with a pretty face?”

And there he goes again with the flirting as Celina’s cheeks brightened to a light shade of pink, but…was it really flirting? Was it coming from how he feels or was it this more than just another trick? From the feel of things, it may be the former choice because this doesn’t feel like it was entirely set up as part of a plan. It felt more like a real deal was taking place right now in this very room. It felt like…she may be genuinely falling for him.

“Fine,” Celina said, placing her free hand on Yuri’s shoulder. “I’ll bite.”

“Excellent choice,” Yuri said.

The two initiated a slow dance that was like what they did yesterday at the preliminaries: a pacing waltz across the room. As time went by, the realization of Celina harboring feelings for Yuri were becoming more evident by how head-over-heels she was in her gaze and soon concluded that she may be wrong about cutting ties with Duel Academy. She can still maintain her own identity and date him at the same time; she also thought about how her old school did have some perks after all. Paradise Prep wasn’t a dueling school, so she never got to duel a lot like she did in Duel Academy.

Then there was Yuri himself. She initially saw him as a crazed psycho with an ugly personality, but she came to realize he genuinely wanted redemption for his past actions. His makeover didn’t hurt either. Without the cabbage-shaped hairstyle and tacky uniform, he actually looked rather cute, especially when his eyes became dragon-like. Her infatuated stare glued onto every feature he had as they danced for what felt like hours. She actually wished this could go on forever just so she can analyze everything that he has changed, from his appearance to his personality.

“I love you,” Celina blurted out.

That caused Yuri to stop the dance. “What?” he asked.

“I love you,” Celina repeated.

She has never said those three words to him, let alone him never hearing her say that to him. So this statement genuinely surprised Yuri.

“You…actually love me?” Yuri asked.

“It’s your fault,” Celina explained, punching Yuri in the shoulder. “You’ve become too cute.”

Of course, her explanation left Yuri confused again because he always thought he was a hottie. However, throughout the Interdimensional War, he did have moments that were proven to be adorable, such as his bewildered expression to Yugo’s answer when he asked about Zuzu’s whereabouts and his laughing smile when he dueled against five students from Fusion Dimension’s You Show Duel School.

“You honestly think I’m cute?” Yuri asked, his eyes becoming more dragon-like.

“Yes,” Celina answered. “Like what you’re doing with your eyes.”

She had just noticed his pupils becoming more shaped like a dragon’s, triggering a small memory of what Dennis and Sora said about this ability whenever he was about to win. As it turns out, he can slit his pupils in scenarios besides winning duels; it was also a reaction to being with love with her, which is another common situation he gets himself in whenever his heartbeat increases, and she liked it.

“Alright, so you think I’m cute,” Yuri said. “Are you sure you don’t think I’m also a hottie?”

And here she thought Yuto was the one who enjoys getting his ego fed, but he’s not the only one apparently. Yuri’s new haircut helps flesh out his newly-redeemed persona, yes, but she never thought of him as a hottie. She has stated that he was cute, especially with his slitted pupils. So she let out a small laugh and gave him a loving kiss on the lips.

“Come on,” Celina said. “Let’s get back to the party.”

The couple exited the private room, with Yuri clapping his hands twice to shut the light off before shutting the door. They made their way back to the ballroom—which wasn’t too far away compared to Yuto and Lulu returning from the balcony—when they ran into an approaching Leo.

“Yuri and Celina, I wish to speak to you two,” Leo said.

“What ever is the matter, Professor?” Yuri asked.

“Due to causing the Interdimensional War and nearly killing countless lives, I decided to turn myself in,” Leo stated.

The two quickly became distraught from what they heard. Why on earth would he turn himself in at a time like this? There was no trial going on at the moment, so what gives?

“How come?” Celina asked, sounding a bit concerned. “Shouldn’t you wait for a trial?”

“No need,” Leo explained. “I would still be viewed as guilty for what I have done, especially towards you two and your counterparts.”

“Well I still have severe nightmares,” Celina sheepishly admitted. “Suddenly ceasing to exist can really damage a person’s mind.”

“Whereas I simply blacked out,” Yuri recalled.

“So there won’t be a true reason for a trial,” Leo continued. “I caused both physical and mental damage towards so many people. And since I’m going to prison for probably the rest of my life, I would like to leave Duel Academy in your care.”

The two looked at each other and then back at Leo. They weren’t at an old enough age to run an entire school; heck, they need to find someone to train them to run the Academy. Out of the people they have known and met in the Original Dimension’s four main cities, who would be the perfect tutor for them? This question ran through the couple’s heads after hearing they were now going to be in charge. Just then, Celina raised her eyebrows after processing why he spoke to her and not just Yuri alone. Her childhood desire was coming true; she has proven herself to Leo and he was accepting her as the former Obelisk Force soldier’s equal.

“Even me?” Celina asked.

“Especially you, Celina,” Leo answered. “I have come to accept you as a strong Duelist-”

Before he could finish, Celina ran up to him and gave him a hug with tears in her eyes. “Thank you,” she said. “I won’t let you down.”

Celina may be a student at Paradise Prep, but deep down, she always had Duel Academy’s blood coursing through her veins. Even though she didn’t agree with what they did to Heartland as part of Revival Zero, she spent her entire life growing up there learning how to duel and strengthening her skills. Besides, her current dreams for the future were to improve Duel Academy. She just wasn’t planning on starting this early.

“Hey Yuri!”

The three glanced over at Yugo, who was heading over to where they were. Does he have anything he wants to talk about?

“What is it, XYZ?” Yuri asked.

“First of all, stop calling me that!” Yugo said. “Secondly, RinRin wants a group photo with all the counterparts.”

“A group photo?” Celina asked, separating from her hug with Leo.

“We’ll explain everything once everyone’s together,” Yugo said.

Yuri and Celina said their goodbyes to Leo before following Yugo back into and through the crowded ballroom. It felt more like a maze or a labyrinth when trying to get by so many people…or more technically, Topsiders.

Ultimately all eight counterparts were able to meet up. “Why do you want a group photo?” Yuya asked.

Rin let out a sad sigh. “Jack Atlas plans to enter Team Turbo in a Turbo Duel tournament in Florida,” she explained. “There’s a high chance me and Yugo won’t be able to see you again.”

The Pendulum, Fusion, and XYZ counterparts grew dismayed at why they were gathered for a group photo. Rin and Yugo were going to be leaving for America soon now that they have officially started their careers as professionals. It’ll be weird knowing the two will be gone and busy with their Turbo Duel tournaments. Just when will they find time to see and talk to each other again, regardless if it’s through their Duel Disk webcams or visiting in person? Rin knew they would get upset at the news and told them that taking this picture will let them never forget about each other and illustrate how much they have changed since getting involved with the War.

“But that’s why I want this photo of us,” Rin continued. “All of us have formed our own identities. Zarc and Ray must’ve known this would happen, so that’s why they gave us this.” She held up her left hand, revealing her En Winds marking.

Zuzu placed her hand on her right cheek where her En Flowers marking was, Celina looked up and moved her hair from her forehead to uncover her En Moons marking, Lulu glanced back down at her upper chest and put her hands on top of her heart near her En Birds marking, and the Yu-Salad stared at each other to see the changed eye colors to match their respective dragons: Odd-Eyes’ red and green colors for Yuya, Dark Rebellion’s golden eyes for Yuto, Clear Wing’s yellow eyes for Yugo, and Starving Venom’s neon green eyes for Yuri.

“They’re reminders that we’re still connected,” Yuto recalled.

“Correct,” Rin said. “And there’s more. Think about any random thing you love about the person you’re dating.”

The six got glimpses of each other before figuring out the first quality they like popping into their heads: the three Energy Girls loved their boyfriend’s cute hairstyles while Yuya admired Zuzu’s smile, Yuto thought about Lulu’s natural beauty, and Yuri pictured Celina’s eyes.

“I take it that my counterparts immediately thought about the guys’ hair,” Rin said.

Lulu blushed. “How did you know?” she asked.

“Because I also like Yugo’s hair,” Rin answered. “Which means Ray must’ve also liked Zarc’s hair.”

The Yu-Salad stared back at each other to see their different and iconic hairstyles. Yuya and Yuto’s haven’t changed one bit and still resembled a tomato and an eggplant respectively. Although Yugo has gotten used to his new look, he still missed his banana bangs whereas Yuri was glad he changed his cabbage-haired look because it reminded him of his old self. Regardless of what style it was, Rin was right about Ray taking an interest to Zarc’s hair.

“Wait a minute,” Yugo said. “Are you sayin’ we got together because of Zarc and Ray?”

“Maybe they were always soulmates to begin with,” Rin guessed. “But regardless of what happened in the past, I want each of us to remember that despite becoming individuals, we’re still spiritually connected.”

Everyone agreed on the spiritual connection they all share and how they all developed their own identities. At least it was better than being merged because they were fused back into their incarnations out of their own free will; the Energy Girls were kidnapped and sent to ARC-V whereas Zarc’s lingering darkness caused the Yu-Salad’s souls to be absorbed.

“You are quite right about us becoming individuals,” Yuri said. “Why, Miss Celina and I have become the new heads of Duel Academy.”

“Technically you are,” Celina corrected. “I want to finish my education at Paradise Prep first.”

“So whaddya say?” Rin asked, holding up her Duel Disk. “One last picture in honor of the start of our new lives?”

The seven other counterparts all gave out their words of agreement and grouped together for the picture, with Rin joining in to take a selfie with them. She opened up the Camera app and pressed the switch camera button to have it aimed towards the group. Once they paired up with who they were dating, as seen with Yugo getting closer to the camera and standing next to his girlfriend, Rin clicked the white button to take the picture, preserving a cherishable memory that they will all remember forever.


	26. Fourteen Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this time skip epilogue, find out what happened to the eight counterparts after the events of the series, blood separation, and Team Duel Tournament.

“Welcome to the annual Japan Academy Film Prize,” a reporter said. “I’m out here live on the red carpet waiting for the nominees of this year’s awards to show up.”

Suddenly, there was a mass amount of cheering. “And that would be Japan’s number one sweetheart Lulu Obsidian,” the reporter said. “As all of you may know, Ms. Obsidian originated from the city of New Domino-Heart. Despite having a spinal injury when she was only fourteen years old, she has since made a healthy recovery. Now she stars in various movies, with her latest project being The Rise of Angel Feather as lead protagonist Shamsiel.”

A limousine pulled up in front of the red carpet and the driver got out of his seat and walked over towards the back door. As he opened it, a pair of female feet wearing silver high heels stepped out and the figure exited the limo to reveal herself to be 28-year-old Lulu Obsidian, who was now able to walk again. She kept her signature long, dark purple hair, which was tied into a bun behind her neck with wavy, lilac side tails, and she wore a sapphire blue, floor-length dress covering her cleavage with silver jewelry encrusted from her hips and the neckline before meeting at the center of her upper chest along with said high heels.

While it was true that Lulu was born and raised in Heartland City, all four dimensional cities were actually merged back into the Original Dimension’s city that was divided up into four different sections that strongly mirrored its reincarnations. Each section was originally called Paradise, Heartland, New Domino, and Domino sections because they all looked the same when Zarc fused the dimensions back into one, including the colorful XYZ city that was brought back to its pre-Invasion state. Another reason was because it took the citizens some time to figure out the new name, but they eventually settled on New Domino-Heart to emphasize the unification and regained trust among its citizens that was achieved in the Team Duel Tournament.

The reporter walked over to Lulu. “Ms. Obsidian, I’m Camilla Minstar of the radio show Chatting with the Stars,” she said. “How do you feel about your first Academy Prize nomination?”

“I’m not quite sure,” Lulu answered. “But finding out about the nomination was a wonderful surprise. Even if I don’t win, it’s still an honor to be nominated.”

“And I see you look as lovely as ever,” Camilla said.

“Thank you,” Lulu replied. “As always, I designed this look for tonight. You know I have a reputation of always staying fashionable.”

Meanwhile, in the Heartland section’s suburbs, an dark-haired man has just returned home from another day at work. As he watched the award show in his living room, the light from a nearby lamp casted it luminosity all over the room, brightening it from the darkness along with his face and figure to unveil that he was none other than Yuto Osaku. His hairstyle was still spiky, but it was a bit shorter and evenly-trimmed with the exception of a few long feathered bangs hanging near his right eye. However, he did preserve his preference of wearing dark clothes since he was donned in a black business suit.

Starting at the age of eighteen, he began attending medical school and got his medical degree after completing Japan’s required six years of studying medicine. He then went on to become the founder and head of his own health clinic called Phantom Care Hospital. Although the last time he saw Lulu was when they graduated from Heartland Duel School, he keeps tabs on her by following her on Twitter and watching her movies, including The Rise of Angel Feather.

Yuto let out a loving sigh at the sight of his girlfriend. He respected her wishes of not contacting her due to her request of not wanting the world to know about her personal life, so he instead admired her from afar, including watching the award show.

“You look absolutely beautiful,” Yuto said, wishing Lulu was able to hear him say that.

Just then, the sound of a telephone ringing snapped Yuto’s focus on the television, so he walked over to answer it. “Hello?”

“Yuto, are you watching the Japan Academy Film Prize?”

Yuto let out a chuckle from the sudden outburst. “It’s good to hear from you, Shay,” he replied.

During the past fourteen years, Shay has succeeded his parents and became the new CEO of ObsidianCorp, making sure the employees continue doing a terrific job at cleaning the parks. He has also married an heiress from a different family named Dextra Papillion, who was only two years older than him.

“I’m serious,” Shay happily said. “Are you watching the award show?”

“Of course I am,” Yuto answered. “Lulu looks amazing.”

“I’m so proud of her,” Shay said. “It feels like it was only yesterday she was just a newborn infant. Now she’s a famous actress all over the country.”

“I know,” Yuto agreed. “She’s Japan’s number one sweetheart.”

“You have my mother and father to thank for that,” Shay said. “After all these years, she’s still maintaining her perfect image.”

Kameron and Astra didn’t pass away; they simply retired and moved to a vacation home when their son took over the family company. If one thing’s for certain, they really did a great job at raising their kids. They taught them the manners and etiquette of living in a high class society while also being loving parents, resulting in their children to become amazing adults, especially Lulu. Because of her kind heart and elegance, she had become Japan’s number one sweetheart, and that is no opinion. It was a well-known fact all over the country.

“I saw The Rise of Angel Feather in theaters,” Yuto said, walking over to his DVD collection. He pulled out his copy of the movie he had mentioned. “Lulu did an amazing job portraying the lead.”

“I know,” Shay agreed. “I’m not a big Vanguard fan, but it felt like she captured the character’s personality perfectly.”

Prior to the newest movie’s production, Lulu had heard about auditions for playing the various characters in the film, so she went to a game store that sells Vanguard and bought herself an Angel Feather starter deck to help get herself into character. Naturally, she landed the role of the main lead and learned the rules of the card game throughout the production, making her the first ever Duelist who plays Vanguard. Yuto and Shay remembered seeing her tweet about the purchase she made for her audition.

“I hope all that hard work pays off,” Yuto said, recalling how the movie’s nomination came as a huge shock.

At the award show, Lulu had just entered backstage and looked around to see where the other nominated actors and actresses were meeting. Once she found them from across where she entered, she was about to head over there until her former nursemaid Lillybot showed up.

“Lillybot?” Lulu asked. “What are you doing here?”

“FORGIVE ME, MISTRESS LULU,” Lillybot said. “AS YOUR PERSONAL ASSISTANT, I ONLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU WERE READY FOR ANY POSSIBLE ACCEPTANCE SPEECHES.” She brought out a cup of tea. “PLEASE DRINK THIS TO PREVENT YOUR THROAT FROM GETTING DRY.”

Lulu took the cup of tea from Lillybot and thanked her before drinking it. “Thank you, Lillybot,” the dark purple-haired woman said.

“ALWAYS AN HONOR TO SERVE YOU,” Lillybot replied.

Lulu drank her tea to help prevent her throat from getting dry if she wins an award and does an acceptance speech. After taking her last sip, she handed the cup back to Lillybot.

“YOU MUST HEAD BACK TO YOUR SEAT,” Lillybot advised. “IN A FEW HOURS, THEY WILL ANNOUNCE THE AWARD YOU WERE NOMINATED FOR.”

“Of course,” Lulu said. “They’re already doing the vacuum cleaner joke from the Oscars a few years ago.”

She headed across backstage to meet up with the other actors and actresses as they all headed to their seats before this year’s Japan Academy Film Prize can start. A few hours have passed and a selected bunch have been presented with their awards for various categories such as Animation of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Popularity Award, Picture of the Year, Outstanding Achievements in Music, Cinematography, Lightning Direction, Art Direction, Sound Recording, and Film Editing, etc. After finishing the Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, it was time for the category Lulu was nominated in: Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

“The nominees for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role are: Ana Mioji, Songstress Dipped in Nightshade; Lulu Obsidian, The Rise of Angel Feather; Eni Eechi, Fallen Starlight; and Boku Oganu, The Lucky Gold-Heeled Shoe.”

Lulu got a bit concerned. She saw the other movies so she could see her competition, but they were all amazing. Could any of these more professional actresses do a better job than her?

“And the Japan Academy Prize goes to…”

…

…

…

“…Lulu Obsidian, The Rise of Angel Feather.”

Lulu’s face filled with surprised glee and a tiny bit of tearful rejoice as she heard the audience cheer and applaud for her. She got up from her seat and walked to the stage to accept her award, but this award was more…unique than the others, to say the least. The people in charge of the award show also gave her an envelope with no name from on it; wondering who it was from, she opened it up and read the letter that was in it, bringing even more joy to her, but it was more subtle. She didn’t want to spoil what she read right now because she has an acceptance speech to give out. An altered speech with the read message being saved for last.

“When I was younger, my parents had engaged me to a boy named Reginald Kastle,” Lulu said. “It was a typical arranged marriage with standard business reasons. But when I got older, I soon learned his love wasn’t real. He only wanted to be with me because of my wealthy background, something I quickly realized after transferring to a new school.”

The dark-haired woman took a deep breath before she continued. “But then I met him,” she said. “An utter gentleman with a kind heart and a noble personality. He fell in love for me because of who I am as a person and not because of my background. A few weeks passed and we ended up dating. My parents noticed how happy I was, so they canceled the arranged marriage.

"Now this may come as a surprise, but I’m still dating that same gentleman. And after all these years, I finally found out how much he really cares about me.” She then took out a diamond ring from the envelope. “So yes, Yuto Osaku, I will marry you.”

Yuto stood in front of the television as his face flooded with so many happy emotions after hearing Lulu accepting his marriage proposal. He was recently back on the phone with Shay and heard his friend’s reaction since they were both on speaker.

“You planned this from the beginning, didn’t you?” Shay asked.

“It wasn’t much,” Yuto replied. “All I did was give Lillybot an envelope containing a letter and a diamond ring I bought with my own money and told her give it to Lulu when the time is right.”

That would explain why the former nursemaid was backstage; it was to help fulfill Yuto’s easy plan to propose to her without exposing her personal life due to her family quota of maintaining a perfect image no matter what. Shay admitted that it was rather strategic of him to pull this off while respecting her wishes at the same time.

“So do you think the news will talk about the engagement?” Yuto asked.

“Of course they will,” Shay answered. “Lulu has maintained her perfect image for years. The press can’t say anything bad about her.”

“In a shocking turn of events, Japan’s number one sweetheart Lulu Obsidian revealed she has been dating a mysterious man named Yuto Osaku for the past fourteen years after winning the Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. The next day, Ms. Obsidian posted on her Twitter account that she plans to reveal her boyfriend’s identity within a few days on the day of an upcoming wedding.”

The word about this proposal became the hottest trending topic all over New Domino-Heart by the next morning. People have been talking about it since after the award show through social media, public discussions, and the news. In the Paradise section, a married couple was at home watching the morning news when they learned about what’s recently been buzzing around, shocking a noticeable tomato-haired man.

“Way to go, Yuto,” Yuya remarked. “You finally popped the question.”

Zuzu let out a small laugh. “Need I remind you how you proposed to me?” she asked.

Within the past fourteen years, the two’s lessons they were taught at You Show Duel School have paid off and they became Performapal and Melodious Dueltainers. They retained their trademark hairstyles except Zuzu now had longer hair as seen by the pigtails going past her shoulders. She has also controlled her Number-related powers thanks to the bracelet Byron made for her; it was white with gold details and it was connected to her En Flowers marking. At the same time, she and Yuya have gotten married, meaning she was now a Sakaki, and she never forgot the year before their marriage when her husband proposed to her that stood out when compared to most proposals.

“Oh, come on!” Yuya said. “It wasn’t that bad!”

“You had your Performapals parade around the whole city!” Zuzu recalled.

Well, the Performapal Proposal Parade did stir up a lot of attention from the citizens as they all got out to see what the commotion was all about. They were pretty perplexed by what they saw at first, including Zuzu, who knew it was Yuya’s doing but wasn’t sure why he marched throughout the city with his monsters until she was asked to marry him.

“But you were smiling,” Yuya pointed out.

At that point, Zuzu smiled wide. “Yeah, you’re right.” She gave her husband a loving kiss, intertwining her fingers through his hair. “Just be glad I still love you.”

Yuya chuckled after Zuzu finished her sentence. While it was true that his proposal attracted people in a far different manner than his cousin’s, it still won his wife over into the marriage that they are in today.

“In other news, Team Turbo has taken their 11th consecutive win in the Dueling Championship in Miami, Florida. Team leader Yugo Clearwind was able to secure their unbeatable winning streak despite the strongest person on the team, his wife Rin Clearwind, being unable to participate due to being pregnant with his child.”

For the past several months, the Yu-Salad and Energy Girls have known about Rin’s pregnancy during her and Yugo’s time in America. As a matter of fact, the news of them having a baby was one of their most recent calls to their counterparts, with the last ones being about their marriage ten years ago. Yuya and Zuzu watched the latest news update of the Clearwinds’ most recent victory and their unborn child.

Rin was glad that she decided on outgrowing her wavy hair during the sleepover at Lulu’s house because it was around the same length as Zuzu’s pigtails; she was also the same fashionista as she was when she was younger as seen by the teal, long-sleeved, knee-length dress she wore with the sleeves folded up at the wrists and had on a pair of green flats. As for Yugo, half of his blonde bangs covered his forehead while the longer half was swept to his right and his whispy, dark blue hair was spikier on the back of his head. He was also wearing a slightly altered version of his old Turbo Duel suit.

“This doesn’t mean I’m giving up my dueling career,” Rin said in an interview. She patted her round belly. “Once the bun is out of the oven, I’m goin’ back on my Duel Runner!”

Yugo looked alarmed. “What?” he asked. “Come on, RinRin. Don’t you need your body to recover? I can tell Ren’s a feisty one from all that kicking.”

“Ren?” Rin asked.

“I thought it might work as a name for our son,” Yugo explained. “I wanted to name him after the most adorable being on the planet.”

Rin smiled at Yugo’s reasoning behind their first child’s name and it was truly thoughtful and sweet of him to name their son after her. She gave him a loving kiss. “I love you, you moron,” she said.

Yugo grinned after being given a kiss from Rin, but a sure sign of their strong relationship was, without a doubt, him being called a moron. Despite everyone’s initial confusion, they have gotten used to the fact it was basically a nickname for him that he has adapted to over the years, and she happily knows it.

Meanwhile, in the Domino section, Duel Academy has been under new management since after the Team Duel Tournament after-party and the school’s new leaders just happened to be Yuri and Celina, who joined his side after graduating from Paradise Prep School ten years ago. The two still kept the haircuts they got not long after the blood separation, but their attires were now different due to professional reasons. Celina was the headmistress of the school and dressed in a dark red women’s business suit with matching flats. Yuri was one of the teachers that teaches the popular Wicked Dueltainment and modeled in a purple variant of the Academy’s teachers uniform with white linings and buttoned up on his right side with gold buttons.

“Now I shall show you the true power of Predaplants!” Yuri exclaimed. “I activate Super Polymerization! Predaplant Squid Drosera, capture that Dragon Zombie and create a botanical nightmare!”

All the students learning about Wicked Dueltainment have been using horror-themed and nightmarish ghoul decks to help incorporate the sinister and villainous atmosphere. Squid Drosera entangled Dragon Zombie in its venus flytrap tentacles and the two monsters were then fused together due to Super Polymerization’s effect.

“The fun has only just begun,” Yuri said, clasping his hands together. “Arise from the shadows of darkness, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!”

Starving Venom’s head stretched forward as he opened his mouth that was traced with saliva in between his jaws and his red orbs lit up before appearing on Yuri’s side of the field.

“Now, my pet, it’s feeding time!” Yuri continued. “Wipe out that student’s remaining life poi-”

“What’s going on here?!”

Yuri and the students turned to face Celina as she entered the room. Were they in trouble or does she have something important to say and needs everyone’s attention?

“Headmistress Akaba!” a student exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard some commotion from this exact classroom,” Celina answered. “So I wanted to make sure my husband wasn’t getting carried away with his lessons again.”

Yep, it was true. The Fusion couple have also gotten married, and much like Yugo and Rin, they don’t have any memory of their families or what their real last names are. In this case, throughout Yuri’s rise to the Obelisk Force status, he was raised like a son by Leo, meaning he was considered as a father by the former. Since marriages usually involve the wife changing their surnames, Celina became part of the Akaba family as well; she cherishes it as a way to remind her of finally proving her strength to the former headmaster. Although they have adapted to their positions, Yuri does have a bit of a tendency to go overboard with his Wicked Dueltainment lessons, much like he was doing right now.

Yuri let out a laugh. “But it’s all part of the lesson, my dear,” he told Celina. “How are the students supposed to learn if I hold back?”

“You could at least let some of the students win,” Celina pointed out. “You don’t have to win every practice duel.”

Talk about letting old habits die hard. Yuri has been a powerful Duelist all his life and he never holds back. “How dare you say such a thing!” he replied. “I am the most powerful Fusion Duelist in the world! I would never-”

Celina had walked up to Yuri and she kissed his neck. “If you hold back, there might be more than that tonight,” she said.

Yuri’s face was then coated in a tint of pink after hearing what Celina stated. He looked at her smirking expression because she knows how to pacify him; after all, they know neck kisses are a sign of affection to each other…at least, until the night hours.

“My goodness, Headmistress,” Yuri said. “You sure know how to push the right buttons.”

Celina let out a snicker in agreement with Yuri and out of proud satisfaction of what she was doing. “Just keep up the good work, hottie,” she replied.

She then left the classroom to continue running the school and making sure the classes are going smoothly, but not forgetting to startle him by slapping his butt on her way out. He blushed even more as he continued his lesson.

“Alright class,” Yuri said. “Now to resume today’s lesson.”

Later that day, Lulu’s airplane that left Tokyo has just landed at the New Domino-Heart airport. She got up and straightened out her clothes before getting her luggage. For the trip back home, she chose to wear a more casual outfit for today that consisted of a yellow, shoulder-sleeved, knee-length dress that has a circular neckline, a pair of white sandals, and she had her hair tied in a ponytail. Even though she was constantly busy with her acting career and traveling to certain locations around the world for the movies’ productions, she always managed to maintain her perfect image whether she’s in casual or formal wear.

She and the passengers obtained their luggage and walked through the plane and into the airport. They all walked down the hallway where the restaurants and shops were to make their way to the arrival gate. Not too far away, she spotted her family, her fiancé, the former members of the Heartland Duel School Dueling Club, and her childhood friend.

Lulu was in absolute amazement. The last time she saw Yuto, he still had his eggplant-shaped hair and he wore glasses. He still wore suits, but his hair was slightly shorter and no longer resembled eggplants and his glasses were absent, suggesting that he now wore contacts. Puberty must have also been kind to him because he had matured into a handsome man.

Of course, Lulu didn’t forget about her family and friends. “Everyone…” she said.

“Welcome back, Lulu!” Cathy said.

Setting her luggage down, Lulu walked over to where her loved ones were and gave them all one big group hug.

“MISTRESS LULU, PEOPLE ARE STARING,” Lillybot pointed out.

“Oh, who cares?” Lulu asked. “I’m back home!”

It has been an entire decade since she last saw Kameron, Astra, Shay, Cathy, Sarah, Alex, Kite, and Yuto especially, so she wants to make the most of it worth while. After the hug ended, her fiancé went up to her to properly greet her in her return to her hometown.

“Welcome back, my princess,” Yuto said, holding out his hand.

Lulu placed her hand in his. “Thank you, sweet knight,” she said, allowing Yuto to kiss the back of her hand.

Just then, a white pigeon holding a piece of paper flew throughout the airport and spotted the crew, swooping down in front of Yuto and catching him off guard. Once he relaxed from the sudden surprise, he saw the tiny yellow handkerchief tied around its neck and what looked like a smaller version of Yuya’s goggles on its forehead. It was his cousin’s Solid Vision pet named Poppo, who has what looks like an invitation.

Yuto took the invitation from Poppo. “This is an invitation for a Sakaki Spectacular performance,” he said as the pigeon flew off. “And Lulu and I are invited.”

“So Yuya became a professional Dueltainer?” Lulu asked.

“Along with Zuzu,” Shay answered. “I remember seeing commercials for their show. The two use their cards in a circus-inspired performance.”

The Sakaki Spectacular was a Dueltaining show performed by Yuya and Zuzu. When the two started their careers as professional Dueltainers, they incorporated their archetypes’ circus and musical themes into one big presentation with the purpose of bringing smiles, much like how Yusho’s duels were years ago. Their routines consists of them engaging in Action Duels where their Performapals and Melodious battle each other while unleashing their best features as the two pro Duelists use Action Cards to enhance the flow of their duels and their monsters’ specialties. At the same time, they also integrated Pendulum, Fusion, Synchro, XYZ, and Ritual Summoning into their decks by including cards that work well with their current strategies, leading to them to create new techniques that can make the show a lot better.

“I attended one of their shows,” Sarah recalled. “It was a lot of fun.”

“I see,” Yuto said. He looked at the invitation again. “Should we check it out?”

“Of course,” Lulu answered. “He’s your cousin. Maybe he heard about our engagement and he wants to congratulate us.”

Yuto looked back at his invitation; according to it, the show was tonight, and the news about his and Lulu’s engagement have been spreading like wildfire. There was definitely no way this was just a coincidence. She may be right and this could be Yuya’s way of congratulating them.

“The Sakakis have always been the closest thing I have to family,” Yuto said. “Even if it isn’t for the engagement, I would still like to see his show.”

He was correct about the Sakakis being the closest family he has gotten ever since his mother Lono was killed while protecting him from Chazz’s Chaos Ancient Gear Giant. It was thanks to a spiritual connection that he stumbled upon Yuya in the Standard Dimension during the Arc League Championship, who would later be revealed as his long-lost cousin shortly after accepting his ObsidianCorp job offer. Whatever the reason behind tonight’s performance is or isn’t because of his engagement, it sure will be nice to see Yuya again.

“Then it’s settled,” Lulu said. “We will see tonight’s Sakaki Spectacular performance.”

Later that night, after Lulu finished unpacking her pajamas, clothes, makeup, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, and other stuff from her suitcase at her old house, she and Yuto dressed up nice as they went over to the Paradise section to see where the Sakakis’ show is going to take place. Based on the invitation Poppo delivered to Yuto, it was scheduled to occur in the dueling arena where Yuya’s duel against the former Pro League champion the Sledgehammer took place that led to the very first Pendulum Summon.

“That’s Lulu Obsidian!”

“I can’t believe she’s attending the show!”

“And look, she’s with Dr. Osaku!”

“Could this be a date?”

“Doctor…?” Lulu asked. “Does that mean…?”

“Yep,” Yuto answered. “You’re looking at the founder and head of Phantom Care Hospital.”

This revelation left Lulu surprised because Yuto achieved his dream of going to medical school and starting his own health clinic. He also mentioned that the skills he learned during his time at ObsidianCorp paid off because the success of his own hospital made him wealthy, so he now knows what to expect in living life in a high class neighborhood.

“So you’re wealthy?” Lulu asked.

“Of course,” Yuto answered. “Not as wealthy as your family, but the money I have made is enough to fit in among the rich and elite.”

“That’s incredible!” Lulu remarked. “I bet you were able to afford a lot of robot maids!”

“Only a few,” Yuto explained. “It’s the newest model. They’re called Cleandroids.”

Lulu felt like she’s heard of the Cleandroids before in advertisements or something. The robot maids she and Shay have work fine, but that’s because they’re running on the same operating system as the newer models; in other words, the older robots are also getting updated to the latest program to make sure those that still use them won’t experience any technical difficulties.

“So you live in a small house?” Lulu asked as she and Yuto found their seats.

“It’s similar to where I grew up,” Yuto answered. “So I had to get a few Cleandroids. They’re small enough to operate in a normal housing environment.”

As the two wrapped up their conversation, the lights dimmed until they were all off. That meant it was time for the show to begin. From within the natural darkness of the night sky, two spotlights flashed on and its luminescence rained down on Yuya and Zuzu, who were both wearing matching circus-themed costumes with his hair combed back and pulled back in a short ponytail and her hair tied up in a bun.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Sakaki Spectacular!” Yuya exclaimed.

“The most glorious show in all of New Domino-Heart!” Zuzu exclaimed.

“And now, let the show begin!” the two exclaimed in unison, resulting in a massive applause.

“But before we begin, we’re gonna need two volunteers,” Yuya said.

Zuzu looked surprised. “That wasn’t in rehearsal…” she realized.

“Luckily we have the perfect volunteers,” Yuya continued. “Will Yuto Osaku and Lulu Obsidian please join us onstage?”

Two more spotlights flashed on right where Yuto and Lulu were sitting. He was starting to become convinced that his cousin did found out about their engagement. Simultaneously, he wasn’t the biggest fan of gaining attention from a large crowd or an entire audience; as for Lulu, she enjoyed it, which was a perk of being an actress.

“Thank you!” Lulu said with a smile and a polite wave. “It’s such a delight to have a warm reception!”

“Yuya, you owe me big time…” Yuto muttered, trying to hide his face with one hand.

The two stood up and walked down the bleacher stairs to the center of the arena, with Yuto still covering his face to divert himself from the attention and somewhat embarrassed that Yuya asked him and Lulu to be volunteers. Of all the people he could have chosen, he went with the recently engaged couple?

“Tonight’s performance is to celebrate my cousin’s engagement to his long-term girlfriend!” Yuya announced. “They have the honor of facing off against my wife and I in a tag team duel!”

Zuzu had no clue about Yuya planning a tag team duel for his cousin and soon-to-be cousin-in-law. It was nice of him to create a special event for them, but this wasn’t part of the routine; besides, how will they perform Dueltainment for an unrehearsed duel? Yuto, on the other hand, was torn between using both hands to cover his face or stopping himself from hiding away from the attention. He knew that this was because of last night’s engagement and he blamed the widespread media for that, but he also hasn’t dueled in a long time due to how busy he was with work. Lulu was lucky that she got to practice Duel Monsters more since it was a crucial part of acting, but what about her promise of revealing him on the day of the wedding? It was mostly done to keep her personal life intact yet he has gotten wealthy over the years, so it may be undetermined what the people were going to say about this premature reveal.

“So whaddya say, cuz?” Yuya asked. “Are you up for a duel, or did your skills rust up from all that work in the hospital?”

Yuto took a deep breath and smirked. “Oh please,” he told Yuya. “I still duel.”

It was true; even though he now works as a doctor, Yuto still found enough time to practice, improve, and strengthen his dueling skills. They usually occur on his days off and his vacations, so he had a nice balance between his job and his duels.

“Alright!” Yuya cheered. “And if the bride is also ready, let’s swing into action!”

The two took out and put on their Duel Disks before placing their decks into the deck slots and activating them. Lulu’s eyes shifted down to where her activated Duel Disk was. I hope this rewiring still works, she thought. The four shouted “Let’s duel!” to signal the start of the Sakaki Spectacular Wedding Engagement Tag Team Duel.

“I’ll go first,” Lulu decided. “Since my field is absent, I’ll summon Lyrilusc -Turquoise Warbler, allowing me to special summon Lyrilusc - Colbalt Sparrow as well! And with Colbalt Sparrow special summoned onto my field, I’ll retrieve Lyrilusc - Sapphire Swallow from my deck so I can special summon her and my second Sapphire Swallow from my hand!”

Turqouise Warbler, Colbalt Sparrow, and the two Sapphire Swallows were all summoned and flew onto the field. At this moment, Lulu would XYZ Summon Assembled Nightingale, but after making some modifications to her Duel Disk, this was going to be no ordinary XYZ Summon.

“I overlay with my four Lyriluscs to create the Overlay Network!” Lulu announced.

As the Overlay Network was constructed, a blast of light blue light shot out and expanded throughout Lulu’s field, eventually catching her in it…like she intended to. The light then spiraled around her as gusts of wind blew out. Inside, her arm were covered in white and light blue feathers, her legs transformed into bird legs, her long, dark purple ponytail became straight, shoulder-length, and blonde, and her attire for the night was swapped out for what appeared to be her ace’s clothes. The light vanished and the wind subsided, and before the three Duelists was no ordinary monster. Lulu wasn’t out on the battleground, but she underwent some kind of magical girl transformation and fused with her Assembled Nightingale.

Yuya and Zuzu was completely baffled. “What the heck just happened?!” Yuya asked.

“I have become one with Assembled Nightingale,” Lulu said, speaking through Assembled Nightingale. “I wanted to copy mind merges, so made some modifications to my Duel Disk so when I summon my ace, I actually become her.”

With her rendition of the mind merge a complete success, Lulu set a card face down and ended her turn, passing it on to Yuto.

“My turn!” Yuto announced. “I draw!” He checked his hand. “I shall start my turn with two face down cards, which I’ll activate now! Come forth, dual Phantom Knight of Shine Brigandines!”

The two Trap cards have effects where they can be special summoned in defense position as Level 4 DARK Warrior-Type monsters with 0 ATK and 300 DEF. Since Yuto had no Traps in his Graveyard, their other effects allow them to be activated right away; however, only one can be activated per turn.

“Now I overlay my two Shine Brigandines!” Yuto continued. “Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons! I XYZ Summon Dark Rebel-” His eyes widened in realization. “Oh crud.”

Once Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon was finished being summoned onto the field, he was wearing a clown costume. Much to his minor humiliation, Yuto had completely forgot to turn off his Duel Disk’s “entertainment mode” because he was so used to the Phantom Knights entertaining the kids. They were the mascots of Phantom Care Hospital, so it would make sense for them to have entertainment modes.

Yuya tried his best to repress a laugh. “What’s with the getup?” he asked.

“Sorry,” Yuto said. “I didn’t want Dark Rebellion to scare little kids at the hospital.”

“Aww!” Zuzu gushed. “So your dragon works as a mascot?”

“He does,” Yuto answered as he deactivated entertainment mode. “Along with my Phantom Knight monsters.”

The clown costume dematerialized from Dark Rebellion and he returned to his normal appearance. “I set two cards face down and end my turn,” Yuto concluded.

“Alright!” Yuya exclaimed. “Now it’s my turn!” He drew a card. “I’ll use Oafdragon Magician and Harmonizing Magician to set the Pendulum Scale! I’m taking control of this duel starting now!”

Oafdragon Magician is a Level 6 Scale 2 WIND Spellcaster-Type Pendulum monster with 2100 ATK and 1400 DEF. Its Pendulum effect allows Yuya to add 1 Magician or Odd-Eyes Pendulum monster from the Extra Deck to his hand except Oafdragon Magician if there’s another Magician in the other Pendulum Zone, but it can only be done once per turn. Its monster effect permits him to target a Magician Pendulum monster or Odd-Eyes monster in the Graveyard except Oafdragon Magician and add it to his hand if it was normal or special summoned, but this effect can only be done once per turn.

With his Scale 2 Oafdragon Magician and Scale 8 Harmonizing Magician on their left and right Pendulum Zones respectively, Yuya can summon monsters from Level 3 to Level 7.

“I’m allowed to summon monsters from Levels 3 through 7 all at the same time!” Yuya continued. “Swing far, pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! My monsters are ready…to SWING INTO ACTIOOOOOON!”

The Pendulum “portal” opened up as his selected monsters flew out of it and onto the field. “Turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!” Yuya announced. “Show a whole new world, Performapal Momoncarpet! Give ‘em a hand, Performapal Helpprincess! Dazzle and charm, Performapal Whim Witch! And finally, presenting the newest star of the show: Performapal Corgi Pup!”

Performapal Momoncarpet is a Level 3 Scale 7 EARTH Beast-Type Pendulum monster with 1000 ATK and 100 DEF. Its Pendulum effect halves any battle damage Yuya receives, but if there isn’t another monster in the Pendulum Zone, it is destroyed. Its monster effect allows the monster to be changed into face-down defense position, which comes in handy thanks to its flip summon effect, where it can target and destroy one set card.

Performapal Helpprincess is a Level 4 DARK Warrior-Type monster with 1200 ATK and DEF. Its effect involves her being special summoned from Yuya’s hand if one or more Performapal monster are normal or special summoned except Helpprincess.

Performapal Corgi Pup was very special to Yuya because he had asked Declan to make this in honor of his favorite pet dog En so that his legacy can live on in a Duel Monsters card. It is a Level 2 Scale 4 LIGHT Fairy-Type Pendulum monster with 900 ATK and 750 DEF. It has no monster or Pendulum effects, so it was just a Normal Pendulum card.

“Alright folks, I’ll end my turn for now!” Yuya said as he set a card face down. “Back to you, my darling angel!”

Zuzu nodded her head and drew a card to start her turn. She then analyzed the six cards she has before making her move. “If you thought that was an amazing Pendulum Summon, wait 'til you see mine!” she announced. “Presenting my Pendulum Summon with Beetho the Melodious Songstress and Opheli the Melodious Operetta! Get ready for a whole new symphony!”

She loaded the Pendulum Scale with her Scale 1 Beetho and Scale 9 Operetta, meaning she can simultaneously summon monsters on the field from Level 2 to Level 8.

“Fairies of song, lend me your voices!” Zuzu chanted. “Take flight onto the stage in a beautiful harmony! I enact the Pendulum Summon of floral glory!”

As her Pendulum “portal” opened and brought out her selected Melodious monsters, she prepared herself to activate her Skill.

“I activate my Skill: Natural Energy Burst!” she exclaimed.

Not far away from her, a yellow flower opened up its petals and bloomed onto the grass, followed by a red flower, a purple one, a white one, and a blue one until a huge number of flowers blossomed into one floral field. Shortly after that, their natural energy poured out of them and flowed directly to Zuzu’s right cheek, causing the En Flowers marking to glow pink as pink flower pedals spiraled around the Pendulum Summoned monsters.

“Come on out, Shopina the Melodious Maestra, Elegy the Melodious Diva, Mozarta the Melodious Maestra, Serenade the Melodious Diva, and Crystal Rose!” Zuzu announced.

Shopina the Melodious Maestra is a Level 7 LIGHT Fairy-Type monster with 2300 ATK and 1700 DEF. Once per turn, she can target and add a LIGHT Fairy-Type monster from the Graveyard to Zuzu’s hand, but non-LIGHT monsters are prohibited from being activated on the turn this effect was used.

Elegy the Melodious Diva is a Level 5 LIGHT Fairy-Type monster with 2000 ATK and 1200 DEF. If she was special summoned, all Fairy-Type monsters Zuzu controls gain 300 ATK. Additionally, special summoned Melodious monsters can’t be destroyed by card effects.

Serenade the Melodious Diva is a Level 4 LIGHT Fairy-Type monster with 400 ATK and 1900 DEF. When tribute summoning a Fairy-Type monster, she is treated as two tributes. If she was special summoned, she gains the effect once per turn where Zuzu can normal summon a Melodious monster during her Main Phase, in addition to her normal summon/set.

Crystal Rose is a Level 2 LIGHT Rock-Type monster with 500 ATK and DEF. Once per turn, a Gem-Knight or Melodious monster are sent from the hand or deck to the Graveyard to have it become the target’s name until the End Phase. If it’s in the Graveyard, Zuzu can banish a Fusion Monster from the Graveyard to special summon this monster in defense position, but this effect can also only be done once per turn.

“I activate Elegy’s special ability!” Zuzu announced. “All of my Melodious monsters gain 300 extra attack points and they can’t be destroyed by card effects!”

Elegy strummed her harp, resulting in a purple aura surrounding her and the other Melodious monsters as they gained 300 ATK and were granted immunity to card effects.

“Now Mozarta, attack Assembled Nightingale!” Zuzu declared. “Graceful Wave!”

“Not so fast!” Lulu exclaimed. “My Dimension Guardian shall protect me from getting sent to the Graveyard!”

Thanks to Dimension Guardian, Assembled Nightingale can’t be destroyed by battle or card effects; however, since this is a Continuous Trap card, if she leaves the field, that means it is destroyed and Lulu also leaves the field. Does that mean she too will be sent to the Graveyard if that happens? Whatever’s the case, she’ll have to be careful.

“Eh… Come again?” Zuzu asked.

“Relax, nothing bad will happen to me,” Lulu explained. She lifted up her arm. “This is a costumed hologram. If Assembled Nightingale leaves the field, the hologram surrounding my body will vanish.”

That’s good to know; she rewired her Duel Disk to not only join in on the mind merge, but to also demonstrate her acting skills. “Thanks for the heads up,” Zuzu said as she placed a card face down. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you.”

Lulu drew a card from her deck to signal the start of her turn, which was rather odd given that Assembled Nightingale doesn’t have hands. “I activate the Spell card Overlay Regen to add another Overlay Unit!” she announced. “Now I shall aim a direct attack on your life points! Graceful Winds!”

With a total of five Overlay Units, she flapped her wings at Zuzu to deal 1000 damage. Normally, she would attack a total of five times and deal a total of 5000 damage due to Assembled Nightingale’s effect, but she has something else in mind.

“Upon my direct attack, I play the Quick-Play Spell Lyrilusc - Bird Song to summon my second Turquoise Warbler!” Lulu continued. “Which allows me to call on a Colbalt Sparrow from my hand!”

The second copies of Lulu’s selected monsters flew onto the field due to Bird Song and Turquoise Warbler’s special summoning effects. “Now I overlay my two Lyriluscs to rebuild the Overlay Network!” she exclaimed. “From the bright skies comes a new melody! The song of countless angels descend from the heavens! I XYZ Summon Lyrilusc - Recital Starling!”

Lyrilusc - Recital Starling soared out of the Overlay Network and landed next to Lulu. She is a Rank 1 WIND Winged Beast-Type XYZ monster with 0 ATK and DEF. When she is XYZ Summoned, she can target a face-up monster on the field to have it gain 300 ATK and DEF for every Overlay Unit attached to it. By detaching an Overlay Unit, a Level 1 Winged Beast monster is added from the deck to Lulu’s hand. If the opponent targets this XYZ Summoned card to deal battle damage, they take the same amount of damage.

“Because I already attacked, I’ll have to end my turn,” Lulu said as she set a card face down.

It was now Yuto’s turn and he drew a card before scanning the four cards in his hand plus the drawn card and making his move.

“While you’re thinking about your next move, keep in mind about your chemistry with your bride,” Yuya suggested.

Yuto was surprised to hear that. “My what?”

“Dueling chemistry,” Yuya clarified. “As a married couple, you need to make sure your dueling styles compliment each other perfectly.”

Yuto has never heard that term before, let alone see married Duelists have perfect chemistry… Has he? Well, then again, prior to Rin’s pregnancy, he has seen her and Yugo’s Turbo Duels from time to time whenever he wasn’t busy with medical school or work. With him and Lulu now engaged, it was clear they need to make sure they have perfect dueling chemistry as well.

But what was dueling chemistry? Did it mean asking your partner to borrow one of their monsters? Yuto wasn’t sure about that. He knew Lulu heavily relied on her Lyriluscs when she duels. If that isn’t enough, she would be too stubborn to let him borrow her monsters.

“During my fiancé’s turn, I activate my second Dimension Guardian on Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!” Lulu announced.

Yuto was surprised by what had happened; thanks to the second Dimension Guardian, Dark Rebellion cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects until he leaves the field. It seems Lulu was quick to understand this dueling chemistry, which Yuto was grateful about thanks to what she had just done. However, he realized this could cause a huge interference in her strategy.

“Don’t you need your second Dimension Guardian to protect Recital Starling?” Yuto asked.

“Yes, but I trust you,” Lulu answered.

Yuto quickly realized that perfectly dueling chemistry requires an essential trait: trust. Lulu activating her Trap on Dark Rebellion was an example of it because she trusts him. They have known each other for fourteen years and have developed a mutually unbreakable bond with each other; they loved their appearances and personalities, but their iconic quality that defines them is what established their trustworthy relationship into what it is today.

“And I trust you too,” Yuto said. He looked back at the field. “I activate Dark Rebellion’s special ability! By using one overlay unit, half of Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon’s strength is transferred to him!”

Dark Rebellion extended his wings and shot out purple lightning at Odd-Eyes, encasing the target in electric, purple rings that drained 1400 ATK from him and added it to the latter’s 2500 ATK, raising it up to 3900.

“Now I activate my Skill: Mind Merge!” Yuto continued.

While the duel progressed with Yuto undergoing his Skill, Team Turbo was in a luxurious hotel watching the internationally broadcasted Sakaki Spectacular Tag Team Duel. Since they were in Florida, their was a twenty five hour difference between EST and JST; it was night time in both locations, but New Domino-Heart was one day and one hour ahead of Miami, which was where they were currently at. As they enjoyed the broadcast, Yugo and Rin cuddled close to each other. Ren hasn’t been born yet, but his soon-to-be father was quite protective of him and also proud of his wife having their first child.

“'Bout time those two got married!” Crow said.

“I knew it was bound to happen,” Rin said. “We’re spiritually connected. Even though we’ve all gone our separate ways, we’ll still meet up.”

Yugo chuckled. “You’re still obsessed over that?” he asked.

“Not as obsessed as you are with our child,” Rin replied, stroking her husband’s stray dark blue lock near his right cheek.

“Why wouldn’t I be obsessed with Ren?” Yugo asked. “He’s probably got all our best qualities, a perfect combination of us.”

“How’d you figure out the gender?” Shinji asked.

“I called Aura after RinRin told me the good news,” Yugo explained. “She used her glass apple and somehow figured out that the child’s gonna be a boy. Then she went on to say I shouldn’t risk my own health for his happiness, but I’m not sure what that means.”

Yugo may have no idea what that means, but Aura knew there would be dire consequences if that happened. In a nutshell, Ren would become involved with a quest to restore power to a God card, but it wasn’t one of the three Egyptian God Cards from the alternate timeline. By God, she means G.O.D., which stands for Genesis Omega Dragon, a mysterious card that would decide the future of the world if someone got their hands on it.

“Maybe she’s talking about how you tend to put my safety above your own,” Rin guessed. “You do tend to get a bit overprotective.”

“Since when?” Yugo asked.

“You punched a guy who winked at me,” Rin recalled.

“I didn’t like how he looked at you,” Yugo growled a bit, his eyes flashing light blue.

The flashing light blue eyes was a clear sign of his overprotective behavior; any adult that tries anything smart with Rin, whether it’s winking or flirting, always end up with a one-way trip to encountering a jealous Yugo, mainly because he wanted to let them know that she’s taken. The main reason why he was protective of her was because he didn’t want anything bad happening to her again. She already had to deal with getting kidnapped, brainwashed, and fused back into Ray before having her soul merged with Zuzu’s, so he wanted to make sure nothing else as bad—or worse—strikes again. Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri were much like Yugo in terms of protecting the Energy Girls due to similar experiences with the Interdimensional War (except Yuri, who started caring about Celina after the War), but they are always the ones to calm their two husbands and fiancé down.

“Calm down, you moron,” Rin said. She gave Yugo a loving kiss on the lips. “I get that you love me, but you have to stop getting angry at every person who tries to flirt with me. Don’t you want to be a good father figure for Ren?”

Yugo’s eyes stopped glowing. “Of course,” he answered, gently placing his hands on Rin’s belly. “Anything for our child.”

Rin sighed contently, knowing that she relaxed her husband, who was still excited about Ren’s upcoming birth. It was one of the cute things she loves about him aside from his cute hair and beautiful yellow eyes. She kissed him again, with Yugo kissing back in response.

“Alright lovebirds, you can kiss later,” Crow said. “We still have a tournament to watch.”

Back at the tag team duel, Yuto had completed his Skill and unleashed his Battle Phase through Dark Rebellion, in which Yuya retaliated with his Cross Damage face-down card. It was currently Yuya’s turn.

“I activate the Spell card Odd-Eyes Fusion!” the tomato-haired man announced. “And I’ll fuse my weakened Odd-Eyes with Performapal Momoncarpet! From within the venom comes a new star! A new light awakens from within! I Fusion Summon Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon!”

For the remainder of the duel, the four Duelists gave it their all as Lulu and Yuto increasingly mastered their dueling chemistry, Zuzu presented her controlled usage of No. 52: Diamond Crab King, and displayed newfound monsters they have added to their decks with Yuya. Eventually, the Pendulum couple claimed victory; Yuto and Lulu have amazing strategies, but the main problem is they only work individually, so when the two use their decks to work together, they are weakened.

“Just as I thought,” Yuya said as the holographic monsters vanished. “You two might have improved individually, but your time apart weakened you dueling synergy.”

“Wait, so this whole duel was a test?” Yuto asked.

“Pretty much,” Yuya answered. “A Duelist’s deck reflects his or her personality, so their relationships are reflected in tag team duels.”

Basically, Yuto’s Phantom Knights highlight his noble and chivalrous personality while Lulu’s Lyriluscs emphasize how she is sweet and kind yet strong and determined. The two clearly love each other and are willing to do whatever it takes to protect them, especially Yuto; however, what did their teamwork show during the tag team duel? Do they behave differently because they are trying a little too hard to keep one another safe while focusing on vanquishing some kind of threat or defeating an opponent? Whatever the reason is, the engaged XYZ couple felt bad about this test they took. But Yuto wouldn’t stand his cousin treating him like this.

“You’re wrong,” Yuto said. “While it’s true Lulu and I never had the chance to develop our dueling synergy, it was because we spent a majority of the relationship developing our individual futures. While she was training to become an actress, I was working on obtaining my medical degree.”

“Yeah, but-” Yuya started to say.

“But nothing,” Yuto interrupted. “A good relationship does involve trust, but that also means respecting each other’s boundaries so your partner feels more comfortable around you. If you don’t have that kind of respect, then what’s the whole point of being in a relationship with that person?”

What he said just now is a perfect example of what makes him a true knight. A married couple can show trust and respect for each other in a variety of ways besides tag team duels. They have to understand their differences and work out their relationship in a way to illustrate how they genuinely care for each other. And that’s exactly what Yuto and Lulu have done. They spent the past ten years apart, but their love was stronger than ever.

Lulu was so touched by her fiancé’s words that she walked up to him and hugged him. “That’s exactly why I love you, sweet knight,” she said, reaching up to touch his cheek.

“Of course,” Yuto replied, gently placing his hands on her waist and hugging back. “And I love you too, dearest princess.”

Meanwhile, back in the Domino section, the school day had ended and the students have already returned to their assigned dorms. They ate their dinner and hung with their friends or relaxed in the dorm room and watched the tag team duel. Coincidentally, Yuri and Celina also saw what went down between the Pendulum and XYZ couples in the teachers’ lounge.

Yuri let out a frustrated sound. “What kind of a duel was that?!” he asked.

“Is something wrong?” Celina asked.

“They were too sappy!” Yuri exclaimed, whining a bit. “I wanted to see more action, not two couples being all lovey-dovey!”

Celina knew exactly what he meant; their relationship was healthy much like their counterparts, but in an…interesting way. When it comes to romance, Yuri wasn’t a big fan of the cheesy love stuff that always happens. He likes the thought of having a crush on someone, but it was unlike Yuya’s, Yuto’s, and Yugo’s.

“So you don’t like that kind of romance?” Celina asked.

“Of course not,” Yuri answered. “I prefer something similar to what we have.”

Celina smirked. “Well the students are done for the day,” she said, speaking in a suggestive tone. “How about you come with me back to my office? I need to punish you for your rather…impulsive behavior today.”

“Oh, so it’s one of those nights?” Yuri asked. “Well luckily for you, I know where I left my collar during our last private meeting.”

Celina gave Yuri a quick kiss on the lips. “Then you better go get it,” she said.

While the two…got it on, Lulu and Yuto arrived at his house after the Sakaki Spectacular concluded. As they got out of the car, she got a good look at how it was constructed; he wasn’t kidding when he said it was similar to the house he grew up in. As they walked through the front door and stepped into the living room, they were greeted by the three Cleanroids Yuto mentioned earlier: fashion designer and hair stylist Turquoise, chef Cobalt, house cleaner Sapphire.

“WELCOME HOME, MASTER YUTO,” Cobalt said. “I HAVE PREPARED CURRY FOR THIS EVENING’S DINNER.”

“Thanks Cobalt,” Yuto said.

“MY GOODNESS, WHO IS THIS BEAUTIFUL WOMAN?” Turquoise asked.

“Girls, this is Lulu Obsidian,” Yuto introduced. “Lulu, these are my three Cleandroids Cobalt, Sapphire, and Turquoise.”

“Aww, they look so cute!” Lulu gushed.

They sure were small and efficient, but the best part was that Cleandroids come in variations in terms of patterns, color schemes, and “hairstyles” to make it easier to tell which one is which. Cobalt was cobalt brown with black gloves, light yellow linings and shoulder-length “hair,” and sky blue eyes. Sapphire was sapphire blue with a bob cut “hair” of the same color, white and black linings, and purple eyes. Turquoise was dark metallic yellow green with spiky, light blue “hair,” metallic yellow linings, and light blue eyes. Yuto had gotten these because they also made variants based on Duel Monsters and they reminded him of Lulu’s three Lyriluscs: Colbalt Sparrow, Sapphire Swallow, and Turquoise Warbler.

“They were custom orders,” Yuto explained. “They each have special flight modes. I even downloaded unique personalities into their databanks.”

Turquoise flew up to Lulu’s face. “DID YOU LIKE WHAT I DESIGNED FOR MASTER YUTO’S EVENING ATTIRE?” she asked. “I EVEN ORDERED A NEW SUPPLY OF SILKY SPIKES AFTER HE USED THE LAST OF HIS CURRENT SUPPLY.”

“Silky Spikes?” Lulu asked. “Is that the shampoo brand you have been using?”

“It is,” Yuto answered. “It’s a cheaper version of Thick and Spiky, but with more visible results.”

“I can tell,” Lulu said. “Your hair looks much softer.”

Even though it wasn’t as cheap as Spike and Curl, Silky Spikes doesn’t contain the damaging oils like Thick and Spiky. As a result, Yuto’s hair wasn’t as spiky as it used to be, but it definitely made it softer.

Lulu lifted up her hand. “Can I…?” she started to ask, blushing slightly.

“It’s alright,” Yuto said, understanding what she was going to say.

Lulu placed her hand on top of Yuto’s head, intertwining her fingers through the luscious, light purple and black strands to get a feel for it. Upon contact, she was amazed to know that his hair was indeed soft and obviously softer than it was during his teenage years.

“This is your perfect image,” Lulu realized, her hand still stroking his hair.

Yuto closed his eyes and smiled softly. “I understand it,” he said. “Having a perfect image is all about working hard to become extraordinary, whether it’s looking your best or having a successful job.” He opened his golden eyes. “I have reached the same level of perfection that you have.”

These few statements bestowed some minor bewilderment to Lulu because the definition of having a perfect image she was taught was to always look your best. Hearing what Yuto explained seemed to have shed some light on it; having a pleasing appearance was essential for everyone and not just elites, but it is not only that. It is the effort put into tasks, the expression of your opinions and beliefs, the responsibility of doing your jobs, the goals that you dream of accomplishing, and the bonds that you create that help define who you are, and quite frankly, Lulu was impressed with what she heard.

Yuto may not be born in a high class society, but he didn’t need to be. He has the right motives, a charming personality, tight bonds with his friends, and a healthy relationship with her, in which they all made him into the person he is. Going back to all these years ago, even she can agree with his view on having a perfect image. She became an award-winning actress because of her determined yet stubborn characteristics and connections with her friends, family, and fiancé. They all helped her and looked out for in times of need in assorted ways, whether it is Yuto trying to rescue her from the clutches of Duel Academy or going through her back surgery to remove her spinal plates. She may be raised to maintain beauty no matter what happens, but it doesn’t change the fact on what having a perfect image is all about.

“I HATE TO INTERRUPT THIS MOMENT, BUT I DO NOT WANT DINNER TO GET COLD,” Cobalt informed.

Blushing heavily, Lulu removed her hand from Yuto’s hair. “Sorry,” she said.

“So shall we enjoy this meal?” Yuto asked.

“We shall,” Lulu replied, linking her arm with Yuto’s.

With Yuto leading the way, they walked over to the dining room to have their dinner. Colbalt followed them and then flew over to the kitchen to serve them their curry. It was his second favorite meal for dinner, with Lono’s homemade lasagna recipe taking the number one spot.

Yuto and Lulu sat next to each other at the dinner table. “Isn’t it nice when you have a robot handle all your meals?” she asked.

“Cobalt doesn’t do all the cooking,” Yuto clarified. “When she needs to recharge her batteries, I cook my own meals.”

Lulu was surprised. “You have a Cleandroid who cooks for you, yet you still cook?” she asked. “That seems a bit weird.”

Since she grew up in a home with robot maids that do stuff for you like sewing clothes, trimming hair, giving spa treatments, and cooking food, she wasn’t exactly wrong. Aside from managing her own hair, she was so used to robots providing basic necessities.

“DINNER IS SERVED,” Cobalt said, handing out two plates of curry to the engaged couple. “MAY I PROVIDE YOU WITH THE APPROPRIATE MOOD?”

Yuto blushed. “Not tonight,” he answered.

“VERY WELL,” Cobalt said. “ENJOY YOUR MEAL.” She then soared through the house to join with Turquoise and Sapphire while Yuto and Lulu ate their dinner.

A few minutes later, Lulu finally spoke. “This feels…oddly comfortable.”

“How so?” Yuto asked after finishing a spoonful of curry.

“We’re eating a meal with peace and quiet,” Lulu answered. “I’m so used to people asking for autographs and pictures that I kind of miss the quiet atmosphere.”

“But I already planned everything out,” Yuto said. “Since you’re going back to your life as a famed actress, I’m going to stay here in New Domino-Heart and raise our adopted child. I promise to e-mail pictures of our child so you won’t miss any of his or her big milestones.”

Lulu dropped her spoon onto her plate. “Adopted child?” she repeated.

“I heard about celebrity couples in the media,” Yuto clarified. “I want to make sure our relationship lasts longer than theirs. And if we consider adoption, you won’t have to worry about ruining your perfect body.”

Lulu wasn’t sure how to react to this, but she was heartbroken and a little scared. Starting a family through adoption? With Yuto raising the child for the both of them? She has seen the news countless times on how well Rin was handling her pregnancy; she was capable of managing it too, but she couldn’t help but have second thoughts about having kids.

“Oh Yuto…” Lulu said, sounding a bit sad. “I don’t want you to end up with that burden.”

“But you’re an actress,” Yuto pointed out.

“And I don’t care,” Lulu said. She held Yuto’s hand. “If we’re going to have kids, let me be a part of it. I want to experience the joys of being a mother, especially being pregnant.”

“Even if it could ruin your figure?” Yuto asked.

“I’m an Obsidian,” Lulu answered. “I’ll be able to regain my figure after giving birth.”

This was going to be a challenge unlike the past ones they faced. If she wanted to have a child, that meant she was going to take a break from acting, but for how long? Does she have to go on maternity leave until she can come back? What about movies that are interested in having her in the cast? This was something they both knew was going to happen.

“What about your career?” Yuto asked. “I heard a lot of filmmakers and directors were thinking about hiring you. And with you winning an Academy Prize, that number is bound to increase.”

“I know,” Lulu said. “And I love being an actress. It has been my lifelong dream.”

“But what about our child?” Yuto asked. “I don’t want the media to interfere with his or her life.”

Lulu remained silent, realizing this decision could cause some problems. “Maybe this was a mistake,” she said after having a spoonful of curry. “Maybe your proposal was a bad idea.”

“No, of course not,” Yuto disagreed. “I want to marry you. I can never find another woman as lovely and perfect as you.”

“Then how can we work things out?” Lulu asked. “I want to make sure this decision is a step forward for the both of us.”

Yuto had a sudden idea. “Why don’t you come with me to work tomorrow?” he asked. “A few girls who heard about our engagement asked me if I was dating Princess Kaguya, and I was hoping if you would like to meet them.”

Lulu raised her head up to face Yuto, feeling thunderstruck by the idea. She remembered playing that character a few movies ago and having the kids meet Princess Kaguya was much like how she stayed in-character as a princess during her duel against Allie.

“You really want me to visit young girls in the hospital as Princess Kaguya?” she asked.

“Of course,” Yuto answered. “Especially a girl named Lillian Shadows. She’s slowly dying of severe heart cancer, so she was hoping Princess Kaguya could take her to the moon.”

Lulu understood what that meant. “Tomorrow is her last day,” she realized.

She immediately felt bad for the Shadows family because time was running out for Lillian. The poor girl must have seen the movie prior to her news about how she won’t make it and loved the movie so much. Her relatives were most likely going to be at the health clinic tomorrow to spend their last hours together, so coming in-character as Princess Kaguya would be an extraordinary deed for them.

“Very well,” Lulu said. “I’ll visit her tomorrow.”

“Thank you, princess,” Yuto said. “I’m sure you’ll put a smile on her face.”

The next day, they arrived at Phantom Care Hospital for another day at work for Yuto (who wore a white coat for work), except it was more unique than most days. Lulu entered the building dressed up as Princess Kaguya to surprise the young kids, especially Lillian.

“Greetings Phantom Care Hospital!” Lulu announced. “I, the moon princess Kaguya, wish to speak to the head of this hospital! I heard someone wishes to speak to me about an urgent matter.”

Yuto heard Lulu’s announcement from one end of a hallway and walked towards the main lobby to speak to her. “There you are, Princess Kaguya,” he said, playing along. “Now if you could just come with me, I- MMPH!”

His sentence was interrupted as Lulu leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. The kiss was brief, but full of loving emotion. “My apologies,” she said, staying in-character. “I have never seen a man as handsome as you. Had I met you before I returned to my true home, you would have been a perfect match for myself.”

Yuto slightly blushed at the comment before clearing his throat and explaining to her to follow her as he talks about Lillian’s current status and what room she was in. “Lillian Shadows is suffering from severe heart cancer,” he explained. “Today is her last day, but it seems not even the resident mascots can cheer her up. I want you to make sure she goes out with a smile.”

“Of course, I can help,” Lulu replied. “Anything for a maiden in need.”

Fortunately, Lillian’s room was on the first floor, so they didn’t need to take an elevator or the stairs. They stopped just outside of her doorway so that Yuto can instruct Lulu to wait for a few seconds; he wanted to make this a special surprise for the Shadows family. She obliged as he stepped inside to see her parents and her two older siblings—one brother and one sister—gathered around Lillian, who was sickly frail. A few strands of her dark silvery blue hair were in front of her face as her scarlet eyes were struggling to stay open; time was ticking by, so Yuto and Lulu better make it count.

“Hello Mr. and Mrs. Shadows,” Yuto said. “I brought someone who can help calm your daughter down.”

“Is it another mascot?” Mrs. Shadows asked.

“Not quite,” Yuto answered. He walked over to Lillian. “Lillian, remember when you asked me if I knew Princess Kaguya?”

“Y-Yes, Dr. Osaku,” Lillian answered.

“Well I called the people of the moon if she could take you back to her home,” Yuto explained. “And now she’s here to fulfill her promise.”

That was Lulu’s cue to step into the room to see Lillian. She got into character and walked in so that she may speak to the young girl. “Greetings!” she happily said. “I am the great moon princess Kaguya!”

Although Lillian’s body was severely weakened due to her heart tumor, it didn’t prevent her from smiling as her eyes met Lulu’s. Her dream of meeting Princess Kaguya was coming true. “Princess Kaguya!” she exclaimed. “It’s actually you!”

“Of course it is, young maiden,” Lulu said. “My people informed me that you wish to go to the moon.”

“I do,” Lillian said. “The doctors said I might not live much longer, but the moon people are immortal. If I go to the moon, could I end up with that same mortality?”

“I believe so,” Lulu answered.

Yuto left the room to give his fiancé some time to spend with Lillian and stayed in the hallway, not far from where everyone else was. He arranged this in order to help Lulu get used to being near young kids. He knew she was having doubts regarding being a good parent, so he figured this would be a good starting point.

For the next few hours, Lulu accompanied Lillian and her family as they discussed about Princess Kaguya’s life on the moon and shared some of the Shadows’ stories. She may be acting out as the moon princess, but deep down, she was feeling like she was forming a connection with everyone, even the bedridden girl.

Eventually Lillian started to get tired. “Princess Kaguya…” she said. “Promise me the moon people will like me?”

Lulu kissed the girl on the forehead. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I promise that you will have an amazing time on the moon.”

Lillian smiled weakly. “Thank you…”

Lulu gently held Lillian’s hand as she started to close her eyes, feeling the last amount of life she had left diminishing. As her eyelids slowly shut, a white light faded in through the barely noticeable openings, giving her increasingly soulless, scarlet eyes a glance at what it’s like to go to the afterlife. Maybe it was for the best that she might not last much longer; her wish was finally becoming a reality. She was going to be with the moon people for all eternity…

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…

The sound of a flatline emitted from the heart monitor and echoed in the silent and somber room. She was gone. A juvenile and innocent girl had her life taken away from her as she succumbed to her heart cancer. Her lifeless face revealed a smile had managed to form completely with what little strength she had left as her last few seconds had just ticked by. Her wish came true. She got to meet Princess Kaguya and was heading to the moon to live among its people…forever…

“Thank you, Ms. Obsidian,” Mr. Shadows said. “Our daughter loved your movie so much. Meeting you was on her bucket list.”

“I’m glad I could help,” Lulu said. Within her mind, something rang that made her realize something. She may actually be good with kids and her time with Lillian proved it.

Yuto entered the room. “Would you like to visit the other patients?” he asked Lulu.

“Certainly,” Lulu answered, her smile having become brighter. As she walked out of the room and gave out her condolences to the Shadows family, she followed Yuto and was informed on what floors and rooms the children were on so that she can visit them. She also couldn’t help but think that maybe it was a good idea to start a family of their own. She’s not sure when they should start since their wedding is coming up, but she does miss the leisure and peace after spending years of being famous, signing autographs, taking part in interviews, and enjoying the spotlight. Perhaps after they get married, they’ll figure out a plan.

“So what happened while I was away?” Lulu asked.

“Not a lot,” Yuto answered. “Allie took over as the new principal of the You Show Duel School. Your duel with her changed her. She even managed to grow her hair out to match your hair.”

After the Team Duel Tournament, Allie has started idolizing Lulu for more than just her being a real life princess. Overtime, she outgrew that phase and has respected her as a powerful and strong Duelist. But that didn’t stop her from growing out her hair to be as long as Lulu’s.

“Allie became the new principal of that dueling school?” Lulu asked.

Yuto nodded in response. “Riley is her best student,” he continued. “Moon Shadow raised her well. Not only is she a skilled Duelist, but she already has dreams of being a photographer.”

Riley—who was now 14 years old—had passed her Ninjitsu training with Moon Shadow and Sun Shadow as she was growing up, learning how to use her C/C monsters as weapons. With her having mastered those skills, she transferred to You Show Duel School, where she has been utilizing what she learned through Dueltainment, making her the first Ninjitsu Dueltainer. Yuto was also right about her wanting to become a photographer because she tends to analyze the opposing monsters’ postures and have them readjust their poses almost like they’re in a photo shoot.

“That sounds amazing,” Lulu said. “I have to see her duel some day.”

“You can do that later,” Yuto said. “Right now, you have hospital patients to visit.”

“Of course,” Lulu replied. “I can wait, sweet knight.”

A few days later, after her visiting the kids, Yuto and Lulu’s wedding has finally arrived. It was a momentous occasion for their friends, families, and loved ones, whom were all invited: the Sakakis (including Sora), the Obsidians, Yuri and Celina Akaba, the Arclights, the Katherines, and the former dueling club. Even though Yugo and Rin were still in America, Yuya had set up his Duel Disk to have them watch the wedding through the webcam app. And given Lulu’s reputation as Japan’s number one sweetheart, the whole wedding was televised.

“Howdy folks!” Melissa announced. “The day of Yuto Osaku and Lulu Obsidian’s wedding has finally arrived! Rumor has it that the famed actress’ folks planned out the whole ceremony, and I’m certain this is gonna be a wondrous event.”

In the groom’s dressing room, Yuto was almost done getting ready for the big event and the biggest moment of his life. He was wearing a black suit with the jacket left unbuttoned, revealing his long-sleeved, white shirt that had the collar tied with a white bowtie, and a pair of black shoes. He was taking a look in the mirror to see if his hair needed any touching up when he heard a knock on the door.

“Lulu, you know it’s bad luck for me to see you before the wedding,” Yuto said.

“It’s not Lulu,” a voice said from outside. “It’s me, Aura Sentia.”

Yuto turned around towards the door and notified her to come in, with the young woman opening the door and entering the room. She most likely had something important to say.

“You’re crying,” Aura said, noticing the groom’s tear-stained face.

“What?” Yuto asked. “No, I’m not.”

“Is this about your mother?” Aura asked.

“I told you, I’m not crying,” Yuto repeated. “It’s not like this is the biggest change in my life and-” A sob escaped his throat.

“Just as I thought,” Aura said. “You wish your mother was still alive to see you marry the love of your life.”

Can you blame him? He hasn’t seen Lono in over a decade, so besides graduating from both Heartand Duel School and medical school, as well as opening his own hospital, this was one of those moments when he wished she was alive. This one, in particular, had him showing difficulty of holding back his tears and sobs because that is how important the wedding is; heck, it’s being broadcasted on every television because that’s how memorable it’s going to be!

“That’s why I had to speak to you beforehand,” Aura said. “I have a message for you.”

Yuto tried to regain his composure. “What kind of message?” he asked.

Aura brought out her crystal apple and held it up to Yuto. “This message,” she answered as the apple started glowing purple.

**“Yuto, I’m so proud of how much you accomplished. I’ve been watching you from the sky and I saw you grow up into a handsome man. I know I haven’t seen you since the night of the school dance, but look at you! It seems like it was only yesterday I found you in the alleyway with that strange-looking dragon card and some sparkling dust in your hair. Now you’re about to marry the love of your life. I love you so much, and I wish you best of luck with your new life as a married man.”**

Yuto stood motionless and speechless as he heard Lono speak through the crystal apple. It has been too long since she last spoke to him, so hearing her voice again for the first time in years was truly heartfelt. What made this even more touching was when she mentioned the dust sparkled onto his hair, making him understand that he really was the miracle child described in Close to You by The Carpenters; Lulu’s comparisons were actually explicit indicators that they were destined to be together after all.

“She was right,” Yuto mused. “Those angels actually made me the miracle child.”

“Miracle child?” Aura repeated.

“It’s from the song Lulu and I like so much,” Yuto explained. “The lyrics mentioned that when a child was born, a group of angels turned that child into a prophesied miracle child by sprinkling moon dust in his hair and planting starlights into his eyes.”

“Wait, are you referring to that Carpenters song from many years ago?” Aura asked. She thought about this for two seconds. “That would explain why you ended up becoming the handsome one among your counterparts.”

Yuto nodded in response to the question before stopping to realize that she may be right about him being the handsome Yu-counterpart. He was complimented multiple times by Lulu on how charming he always looked. But that wasn’t all. Despite having similar faces and voices, he was the only Yu-counterpart whose natural charm made a lot of women attracted to him.

“Yuto, what’s taking so long?”

Out in the doorway stood Yuya, wondering when his cousin will be finished because the wedding was starting in a little bit. After all, due to the cousins making a promise fourteen years ago, Yuya was the best man.

“Sorry,” Yuto said. “Aura was just showing me a message from my mom.”

“That’s a relief,” Yuya said. “I was starting to wonder if you were getting cold feet.”

Well…a certain someone was getting cold feet and she had every right to. Lulu couldn’t believe she was going to marry Yuto and this wasn’t a dream. Was it? She was pondering if this was a dream because she has made it this far in her life and the last thing she needed was to wake up fused back into Zuzu, Celina, and Rin and have everything that had occurred starting with the morning of the LID dance seem like it never happened at all. She stood in front of a tall mirror to help reassure her that this wasn’t a dream. She donned a super long, strapless, white dress with a light blue ribbon tied below her breasts, a pair of white heeled sandals with jewel-encrusted straps on it, diamond dangle earrings, and had her hair tied into her signature bow-shaped style with a wavy, white ribbon containing two whitish-purple feathers attached to it.

Lillybot entered the room, but as soon as she saw Lulu, she freaked out. “YOU LOOK SO BEAUTIFUL AND GROWN UP,” she said. “WHAT HAPPENED TO THE INFANT GIRL I HELPED RAISE?”

Lulu let out a small, polite laugh. “Calm down,” she said, approaching Lillybot and giving her a basket of flower petals. “I don’t need you to short-circuit before the wedding.”

“MY APOLOGIES,” Lillybot said. “BUT I HAVE NEVER SEEN YOU THIS BEAUTIFUL.”

Lulu smiled at Lillybot’s comment on how elegant she was. She was born with natural beauty and has retained it for the entirety of her life, so having on one of the finest wedding dresses and accessories was a big deal.

“DO YOU NEED HELP WITH YOUR WEDDING CHECKLIST?” Lillybot asked.

“Of course,” Lulu answered. She checked her reflection once more. “Something old: mother’s wedding dress. Something new: my shoes. Something borrowed: Cathy’s hairpiece. Something blue: the added ribbon to the wedding dress.”

“WHAT ABOUT THE SILVER SIXPENCE IN YOUR SHOE?” Lillybot asked.

“It’s already taken care of,” Lulu answered, pointing to her left heel.

Lillybot shifted her robotic eyes to the left heel where the sixpence was and her installed checklist program marked it down as the fifth item needed for the heiress’ wedding. At that point, bridesmaids Cathy and Sarah arrived.

“My goodness, Lulu. You look absolutely perfect!” Cathy remarked.

“No kidding,” Sarah said. “I’ve never seen you look this fancy.”

Lulu thanked her friends for the comments and mentioned how they were also remarkably dressed for today as well. There was only a few minutes left before the wedding could officially begin, so the three girls waited for Kameron to bring the heiress down the aisle.

“Remember, Lulu,” Cathy said. “Yuto is handsome and perfect, and soon the whole world is going to see him. You should be happy.”

“I know,” Lulu said. She let out a sad sigh. “But I can’t believe this is actually happening. What if this is all just a dream?”

“Aw, don’t say that!” Cathy cheerfully said.

However, Sarah knew what Lulu’s question meant. “You’re worried you might wake up and everything that happened to you over the past fourteen years never actually happened,” she said.

Lulu didn’t say anything, but her head nodding “Yes” was the only response she could muster up.

“I can’t believe it either,” Sarah said. “With our home being instantly restored, it’s hard to believe how any of this could happen. But we can’t stay so focused on those thoughts. We should focus on how fortunate we are.”

“I know,” Lulu said. She looked at her well-manicured hand. “But I still have memories of watching my own hand fading.”

She never forgot those traumatizing events: Duel Academy bombing Heartland City, Yuri kidnapping her, the Doktor brainwashing her into using Fusion Summoning, transported into ARC-V to fuse back into Ray. She wished she could forget them yet they were burned into her brain, scarred by the unbearable struggles and the horrifying nightmarish hell she was forced to endure. She went from barely escaping a tragic fate to being manipulated like a puppet…tangled in strings…suffocating…

“Don’t you dare say that!” Sarah said. “I saw you getting kidnapped, but I know you. You probably challenged Yuri to a duel, didn’t you?”

“Of course,” Lulu answered.

“So you’re still the same stubborn person from before the Invasion,” Sarah said. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t go down without a fight.”

Yep, Lulu did challenge Yuri to a duel; when he pursued her, she reached a dead end among the ruins, so having nowhere to go, she decided to tackle him head on. It was one of her many examples of her displaying her usual determined stubbornness.

“Thanks Sarah,” Lulu said, a soft smile reappearing on her face.

“There’s my beloved daughter.”

Standing in front of the doorway and behind the ladies was Kameron, meaning the wedding was going to start momentarily.

“Hello father,” Lulu said with a curtesy.

“After all these years, you still maintain your perfect image,” Kameron remarked.

“Of course, father,” Lulu said. “You and mother have raised me well.”

Kameron was proud to hear that from her; he and Astra raised her to be presentable and suitable in an elite environment while also gave her love and compassion like good parents. As a result, she became not only the most feminine out of all her counterparts, but also a respectable, lovely, sweet, caring, and beautiful lady.

“THE WEDDING IS ABOUT TO BEGIN,” Lillybot said, carrying the basket of flower petals. “WE CANNOT BE LATE.”

“Thank you Lillybot,” Lulu said.

“Ready to begin your new life as an Osaku?” Kameron asked.

“Indeed, father,” Lulu answered. “But I will still remain an Obsidian by blood.”

Taking and holding her hand, Kameron and Lulu exited the dressing room with Cathy, Sarah, and Lillybot following suit. They all walked down a few hallways towards the altar’s entrance with the bride’s personal assistant leading the way because she was the flower girl.

Meanwhile, Yuto and Yuya were already at the altar alongside Orbital, who was going to be the ring bearer, waiting for the bride to appear and head down the aisle. However, Yuto realized this was exactly what Ishizu showed him. She must have known everything that would lead to this very moment. In other words, he shouldn’t have worried about choosing between his dream job and his dream girl. He was able to obtain both.

The future that Ishizu predicted became more evident that it was coming true as the double door’s opened up. Lillybot wheeled her way down the aisle, tossing flower petals onto the floor to provide a regal pathway for Lulu and the accompanying Kameron, Cathy, and Sarah as someone played music on the organ. Everything that he witnessed in his vision was unfolding right in front of his eyes up to the point where he can’t find the right words to think of.

Just like when he first met Lulu, Yuto’s eyes were wide open and his mouth was slightly agape. The younger heiress looked absolutely beautiful, even moreso than before. He couldn’t believe this was actually happening to him, especially on live television. Not only was he going to marry his long-term girlfriend, but he was also going to get married into the Obsidian family. It helped that being the head of Phantom Care Hospital provided a nice amount of wealth and he was able to develop his very own perfect image. Overall, he was able to get the looks and money for being accepted into the rich and elite despite his commoner upbringing.

Lulu reached the altar where she met up with Yuto while Kameron, Cathy, and Sarah stood off to the side not too distant from her, much like Yuya and Orbital. The organ music ended as the priest walked up and positioned himself at a perpendicular spot from the bride and groom. Just as he was about to start the ceremony, a pained scream was heard from Yuya’s Duel Disk and echoed all over the church room.

“I’m so sorry Yoot, but it looks like Ren’s comin’ early, so we halfta go. Bye!” Yugo said, speaking rapidly before disconnecting the connection.

Awkward silence filled the room; the counterparts were amazed that Yugo and Rin’s child was going to be born, but they were more shocked that there were two special occasions going on at the same day, catching everyone by surprise. No one was expecting Rin to go into labor and neither was Team Turbo. Yuya slowly left the altar and picked up the pace as he went towards where his Duel Disk was, took it off the tripod, turned it off, and went back to where he was.

“As I was saying,” the priest said. “Welcome and thank you for being here on this important day. We are gathered together to celebrate the very special love between Miss Lulu of the Obsidian family and Yuto Osaku, by joining them in marriage. Lulu and Yuto, your marriage today is the public and legal joining of your souls that have already been united as one in your hearts. Marriage will allow you a new environment to share your lives together, standing together to face life and the world, hand-in-hand. Marriage is going to expand you as individuals, define you as a couple, and deepen your love for one another. To be successful, you will need strength, courage, patience, and a really good sense of humor. So, let your marriage be a time of waking each morning and falling in love with each other all over again.”

After the priest was done addressing his reminder of the significance of marriage, Lulu and Yuto exchanged their vows to one another.

“This man, I marry,” Lulu said, reciting traditional Japanese wedding vows. “No matter what the health situation is, I will love this person, respect this person, console this person, and help this person until death protecting fidelity, I swear.”

Yuto was expecting her to write down her own vows and recite them to him, so hearing her state the Japanese wedding vows was rather out of the blue. Regardless, it was now his turn to say his own promises.

“Lulu Obsidian, when I was younger, my mom would read fairytales to me before I went to sleep,” Yuto said. “But out of all of the fairytales, my favorite was the story of Rapunzel, a princess with beautiful long hair. And every time my mom read that story to me, I envisioned what I thought the princess looked like: a lovely girl with sparkling purple eyes and long, silky red hair. I loved that story so much that I wanted to find the princess of my dreams and marry her.

"But then I met you, and I was absolutely amazed. I realized the beautiful girl standing before me was far more prettier than my visions of Rapunzel. That was when I fell in love with you. Because when I met you, I also met my Rapunzel. But now, I don’t care what you look like. You’re the only person I truly love. No other woman is as amazing as you. And with this new chapter of our lives, I promise to stay a loving husband and a wonderful father.”

Lulu smiled and tried her best not to tear up from the astonishing words that Yuto explained. With their vows exchanged, Orbital headed towards the priest, carrying a pillow with their wedding rings. “These rings represent the vows and promises you have exchanged,” the priest said. “Upon putting them on, they will signify to the world that you belong to someone special and someone special belongs to you.”

These rings were no ordinary wedding rings; they were custom made, with Yuto’s resembling Dark Rebellion by being black with blue-green stones and Lulu’s having the same design as her old bracelet. They took each other’s ring to exchange and said, “With this ring, I thee wed,” as they put them on their fingers.

“Yuto Osaku, do you take Ms. Obsidian to be your beloved wife in sickness and in health 'til death do you part?” the priest asked.

Yuto looked at Lulu straight in the eye, his thoughts shifting towards how he nearly lost her to Duel Academy and that he never wanted to see her suffer again. “I do,” he answered.

“And Lulu Obsidian, do you take Dr. Osaku to be your beloved husband in sickness and in health 'til death do you part?” the priest asked.

Lulu suddenly thought about how she nearly lost him forever due to the darkness from Zarc’s heart, not wanting him to suffer like that again. “I do,” she answered.

“And so, by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the priest said.

The newly wed couple embraced each other in a loving kiss as everyone in the church room applauded. A few seconds later, the two parted.

“How does feel being Mrs. Lulu Osaku?” Yuto asked.

“Amazing,” Lulu answered. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Yuto replied before kissing her again.

The priest gave out his closing remarks to the Osakus and everyone who attended the wedding before concluding another successful wedding. The recessional then began as Yuto and Lulu exited through the double doors and walked down the pathway towards their limousine, receiving massively positive reception from everyone that watched it on television as they got out of their houses and cheered and clapped for them. The limo driver opened the door to let the two into the back seats, shutting it behind them, returning to his seat, and driving them to the after-party. Down the road were tin cans attached to the limo and dangling on the road along with a sign saying “Just married”. Their friends and families got into their cars and drove the same path as to where they left the church, creating a single row of cars to let everyone know they took part in a special event and were heading somewhere else to celebrate.

This wasn’t the end of the counterparts’ adventures. It was just the beginning of their brand new lives…

**The End**

 


End file.
